


Renegades

by SariahHime



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual OT3 with a side pairing, Eventual Smut, Human Trafficking, Minor mentioned violence against children, Multi, OT3, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-19 12:05:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 46,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4745681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SariahHime/pseuds/SariahHime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two rough and tumble field agents, one very disgruntled yet well-polished detective, an elusive assassin, a chipper intelligence agent, and a shy sharpshooter are thrown into a world none knew before. In order to save their friend and their country they must face a hellish reality full of deception and lies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_16th of July, 2100 hours_

_State Orphanage_

_Port City, Country of Awa_

 

The ocean breeze was still on the night the orphanage burned.

Normally the air would be alive with heat and salt during the grueling summer months on the coast. Teenagers, more than likely up to no good, could be heard partying on the beach at all hours of the night, getting lost in the smoke from bonfires and too much alcohol. Generally they were left alone, best to let the authorities or parents deal with unruly kids, is what most people thought. Especially something so brazen as underage drinking beneath a blaring signal of fire.

Normally the night was alive and Yun could be seen on the front porch of the orphanage, grumbling under his breath about the fireworks going off on the beach across the street. The fifteen year old had taken on a lot of responsibility as caretaker since Ik-Soo was so passive and could barely help himself, let alone ten kids. Yun was technically under Ik-Soo’s care, but sometimes he thought he was really the one running the orphanage and Ik-Soo was one of the orphans. Most people would agree Yun was a mother hen of sorts. He was always busy running between shops in town, buying food and supplies, usually with one of the youngest on his hip.

But the night the orphanage burned down, the air was dead. No one came running to help, thinking the authorities would handle it. No use getting hurt helping kids no one one would miss or would most likely grow up to be the hoodlums trashing up the beach. The next day people stopped to look at the hollowed out shell of a building, if you could even call what it used to be a building. It was a two room, A-frame house that had existed for as long anyone could remember, tucked away between abandoned concrete warehouses in a desolate part of town. The fire had burned for hours before someone smelled the smoke and called the fire department. By that time no one could make it inside to look for the children.

Ik-Soo was spotted on the beach for a while after the incident, usually staring out to sea. No one approached him or asked about Yun and the kids. Most people minded their own business and thought it rude to ask such things from a man who had lost so much. No bodies were discovered among the rubble and ash but everything had been so burned the fire department deemed it a lost cause, saying there was likely nothing left of them to be found.

Ten names were added in the obituary section of the local paper. Ten children no one would miss disappeared without a trace the night the orphanage burned down. Only Ik-Soo knew what really happened but no one cared enough to ask.

**  
  
**

_August 22nd, 1100 hours_

_Hiryuu Defense Agency_

_Capital Fuuga, Country of Kouka_

 

The day they were supposed to debrief for the mystery assignment came much too soon for Hak's liking. Yona had been constantly flitting about their apartment, tidying up like she always did when she was nervous but too stubborn to admit it. Her first real mission, an undercover espionage assignment, had been a success. Hak had never been on a job that went better. He knew that not everything was as easy as that and was too afraid to think Yona had been lulled into a false sense of security with what field work was really like.   
  
Hak constantly pulled her in for quick kisses and tight hugs when she got ahead of herself and dropped a teacup or slammed a cabinet too hard. She’d just laugh it off, blaming it on jumpy nerves. Maybe the fleeting touches were more for himself, an act of self-reassurance that everything would be okay and this mission would go just as easily as the last. But in the back of his mind he knew it was too good to be true.   
  
Maybe it was Yona, maybe she had a natural knack for this sort of thing. Hak himself was a natural in the field so it's not like prodigy agents were unheard of. But he knew Yona, knew how she sometimes forgot to turn off the stove when she was done cooking or left the front door unlocked when she was beat from a long day in the office. Getting his hopes up that she was completely independent and reliable was not a good idea.   
  
Not to say he didn't trust her, no that was far from the truth. Yona had saved his life on their last mission when he had made a mistake and realized it too late. A bullet in his skull was not the way he wanted to go out especially with their partner, Soo-Won, waiting on their signal to radio headquarters to end the mission. She had acted upon instinct, the only way to explain the fast reaction, and ended the job with an arrow to the man's chest. The kingdom they were in was small and mostly relied on outdated weaponry. The nuclear warheads underneath was the tip-off some black market dealings were underway.   
  
Yona fidgeted next to Hak, legs tucked into her chest in the cushy chair she occupied. She mindlessly tugged on the cuffs of her white blouse, short red hair brushing along the dainty collar. He tried to ignore her, choosing to look around the empty conference room Director Mun-Dok had abandoned them in. He had never been in this part of the HDA headquarters, mostly his missions had been delivered to him directly in discreet packages while he was still in the field. He led a busy life.   
  
"Hey, Hak?" Yona leaned over the arm of her chair, calling to her boyfriend and partner.   
  
He raised a brow in her direction, lazily trailing his eyes down her small frame. "Hm?"  
  
"Do you think Mun-Dok meant what he said? About hiring a criminal?" She scrunched her brow and pouted in a way that always made Hak's heart clench. His favorite part about her was how seriously she took her work and how cute it made her at the same time.   
  
The corner of his mouth hooked up in a wry smile. "Mm, well would that be a problem, Princess?"  
  
Yona's pout deepened. "I'm not undercover as a Princess anymore, Hak. Stop calling me that."   
  
Hak chuckled, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly. "It fits. You're so high maintenance I'd bet money you were royalty in a past life."  
  
Yona punched his shoulder and he winced dramatically. "I'm serious! What if this criminal runs off or hinders us in some way?"  
  
He sighed tiredly, shaking his head at the woman he loved. She was staring expectantly at him, fists clenched in her frustration. "Alright alright, I won't call you Princess anymore. Maybe." He dodged her small fist with a laugh. "And Mun-Dok wouldn't endanger us like that. Don't be dumb."  
  
Yona slunk back into her seat, turning her face away. "I'm not dumb, you rude jerk."  
  
Hak just laughed once more and ruffled her hair but before he could pull her in to steal a kiss, Mun-Dok opened the door.   
  
"Sorry for the wait, kids." Director Mun-Dok of the Hiryuu Defense Agency was a scruffy old man. He gave off a false sense that he was well put together, but Hak had been raised by him and knew better. When he entered the room in nothing more than a button down and jeans, Hak rolled his eyes.   
  
"You're the highest authority of the HDA, old man," Hak sighed. "At least dress the part if you're gonna be late all the time."   
  
Yona elbowed him in the ribs.   
  
"Hmm?" Mun-Dok looked down at his clothes, genuinely curious as to what his adopted grandson meant. "It's casual Friday."  
  
"We don't have casual Friday," Hak deadpanned. Compared to his own choice of attire, a dark blue button down and matching black vest and slacks, he thought Mun-Dok appeared ridiculous. Yona gave Hak a stern look that he promptly ignored. She had a lot of respect for the Director and she always said Hak was too rash for her tastes.   
  
"No?" Mun-Dok questioned. "I'll make a note to start one then."  
  
"Whatever," Hak sighed. "Let's get the debriefing started already."  
  
Yona perked up at that. She squared her shoulders and gripped the edge of the table, nervous anticipation written all over her face. Hak squeezed her shoulder gently, reminding her with the subtle touch he was still there for her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her small smile.   
  
"Actually we have people to gather before we can do that." Mun-Dok stepped back out into the hall, motioning for the two to follow him. Hak and Yona shared a puzzled look before leaving the conference room behind.   
  
"We'll have a team on this mission?" Hak asked, matching Mun-Dok stride for stride as they walked. Yona followed close behind, listening intently.   
  
Mun-Dok nodded, running a hand through his neat beard. "If we're lucky, four more."  
  
"Six people?" Yona piped up. "Is that not a lot for a mission?"   
  
Hak expressed his agreement, knowing full well it was best to keep the teams to a maximum of five for optimal effective strategy and to lessen confusion between members. The more people on a team, the harder it was to mobilize them and that could lead to mistakes.   
  
"Ah, well..." Mun-Dok trailed off uncertainly as they passed through a locked door he had to open with his badge. "Don't take this the wrong way, Yona dear, but normally I wouldn't have assigned you on this job."  
  
Yona blinked in surprise at the back of his head. Hak watched her carefully, afraid she would start fuming. She didn't usually take kindly to people underestimating her. Thankfully, she just cocked her head to the side in curiosity. They turned down a back hallway, coming to a stop outside a door marked "Criminal Analysis Center" before Mun-Dok continued.   
  
"I'll explain in the debriefing." He smiled gently then swiped his badge over the electronic sensor. The door swung open to reveal a bustling department with high white walls and a glass ceiling that let the sun shine through.   
  
There were people all over the place, some in office attire, others in law enforcement uniforms. They bustled between desks and up and down stairs, entering and leaving through doors along the back wall. Yona and Hak paused for a moment to take it all in.  
  
Working in the field, they didn't come to this part of the agency when not on a mission. They had their own tiny offices shoved behind Mun-Dok's on the top floor. They were like caged beasts with no idea anything existed beyond their tiny domains. Field agents were a rare breed to be seen indoors and the people in the Criminal Analysis Center seemed to pick up on their different scent.   
  
People were sending them strange looks, some whispering behind their hands as they hurried past. Hak pretended to be oblivious and if he knew Yona, she actually was oblivious. He looked down to her and sure enough, she was staring at the open ceiling with a dopey grin on her face, ignorant of the people around her.   
  
"Close your mouth or you'll catch a fly." Hak teased with a nudge to her shoulder.   
  
She promptly clamped her mouth shut and rolled her eyes. "Why do I love you?"  
  
Hak sucked in a breath at that, never not surprised when she said something endearing. Five years as a couple and the smallest things still made his heart skip. He cleared his throat and scratched at the back of his head in embarrassment.   
  
"Well, uh, mm..." Hak mumbled.   
  
"Anyway," Mun-Dok interrupted. Hak snapped out of his daydream and Yona giggled at how dorky her boyfriend could be.  "We're here becau—oh, look there he is."  
  
Mun-Dok changed gears mid sentence and pointed to a man quickly making his way across the room. To say he was an ethereal being was a bit of an understatement. He had white hair that matched his button down dress shirt, pulled back into a low ponytail, and a light blue silky tie and black dress pants that gave the impression he was someone important around here. Also it could be that his badge was that of a Department Head.   
  
"Director Mun-Dok." The man greeted him with a handshake. "I wasn't expecting you. I would've been here to welcome you immediately if I had known. I'm deeply sorry about this."  
  
Hak did not like this guy one bit. He could already tell he was too stuffy and high-strung. Yona on the other hand seemed to not be able to take her eyes off of him.   
  
Mun-Dok shook his head, releasing the man's hand. "Not at all, Kija. This was a last minute stop for me."  
  
Kija looked past Mun-Dok's shoulder, eyeing Hak and Yona warily. Yona waved cheerfully while Hak merely grunted in acknowledgment. Kija's eyes flitted between the two until Mun-Dok spoke again.   
  
"Kija, this is Hak and Yona, some of my best field agents." Mun-Dok introduced them. He turned back to his grandson and cheery girlfriend. "This is Kija, he's the Department Head for the Criminal Analysis Center."   
  
"It's a pleasure Mr. Kija." Yona reached out for a handshake which he accepted readily.   
  
"Same to you, Ms. Yona." He smiled gently. "You can just call me Kija."  
  
"Likewise," she replied. He stared into her eyes dreamily for a moment longer before another, rougher hand was forced into his grasp.  
  
"Hak." He introduced himself, prying the shorter man from Yona's side. Kija scoffed but accepted his handshake nonetheless.  
  
"Play nice." Yona threatened in a hushed whisper. Hak twitched in irritation before releasing Kija's pale hand. The two stood, silently glaring at one another before Mun-Dok's voice took precedence.   
  
"Now that you're all friends," he said with a slight strain in his voice. "Shall we move along to our next team member?"  
  
"Next member?" Kija asked, confusion falling over his features. "Member of what?"  
  
"We need you for a special assignment, Kija." Mun-Dok lead the group through the room towards the doors at the back. "Also your clearance to access the Class A prisoners."  
  
"Of course, Director." Kija replied proudly. "I will help in any way I can. You can count on me!"  
  
Hak snorted, promptly looking away when Kija flashed a glare over his shoulder. Yona sighed and jogged to catch up to Mun-Dok whose strides nearly doubled hers.   
  
"Are we really going to get a criminal?" She looked up at her long-time mentor. He merely smiled down at her before pushing open one of the many doors at the back wall.   
  
"I think you'll like him." Mun-Dok promised with a small shrug.   
  
They made their way through a maze of corridors and Hak could tell by the pressure in his ears they were going deeper and deeper underground. Mostly the halls were dim with locked doors occasionally breaking their smooth surfaces. Some had signs announcing whatever hazard lay beyond or that only certain personnel were allowed inside. Finally they reached an elevator with only an electronic sensor like the one Mun-Dok had swiped his badge on before.   
  
"Kija, if you will." The Director said.   
  
Kija stepped forward and swiped his badge so the elevator opened with a small "ding". They all boarded, Hak and Yona in slight amazement while Mun-Dok looked rather bored. He pressed the button for the 25th floor then the elevator closed and began to descend.   
  
"This place goes underground that far?" Yona asked, peering from around Hak's side.   
  
"We have a large department and most of these floors are for high profile criminals who can't go to regular state prisons." Kija answered matter-of-factly. "Only I have access to the 25th floor though. I'm curious to know who we're going to visit."

The statement was directed at Mun-Dok but instead of answering he merely took Kija's badge from where it was clipped to his breast pocket and swiped it once more on the inside panel when the elevator stopped and prompted them for clearance. The automated voice welcomed Kija in a monotone before the doors slid open. 

This hall was well lit. Everything was so white it almost hurt their eyes to look at anything for too long. Immediately they could see cells lining the hall. White walls separated the prisoners, while the fronts were a solid plexiglass to allow guards to look in. Each cell block was occupied by a different infamous criminal.   
  
Hak recognized some of them as the Director led them away from the elevator. He was shocked to see that some of the criminals were alive when the official report had said they had been executed. Nothing like a government conspiracy under the HDA to get him in the mood. Hak swallowed heavily, concerned as to what type of person they were going to let out.   
  
The prisoners mostly ignored the group, far too used to Kija and various armed guards patrolling the halls to pay any mind to them. They turned down another hall and at the end, a good fifty feet away, was a darkened cell.   
  
"Director," Kija called nervously. "You're not going to _him_ , are you?"  
  
"Him, who?" Hak snapped. He knew the crimes of some of these men and didn't want any of them near Yona, let alone out in public again.   
  
"Let's all calm down." Mun-Dok soothed. No one listened to him. They were tense all the way down the hall until they approached the last cell.   
  
The lights were off behind the thick glass and Kija looked like he might pop a blood vessel. Mun-Dok pressed the button on the intercom to speak to whoever was inside.   
  
"Hey, Rabbit." He smiled to himself. "Rise and shine."  
  
From beyond the glass, there was the sound of clinking metal. Hak focused on it as Yona gripped his sleeve. If he wasn't mistaken, it sounded like chains. The metal clinked again and then there was the sound of it dragging across the concrete floor. Definitely chains, Hak thought.  
  
"Oh?" A slithering voice called out from the dark. "It's rare for you to grace me with you presence, little Snowflake." Kija tensed further at the name. He stepped back from the glass, fists clenched at his sides. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"  
  
Hak squinted into the dark as a lean figure came in to view. The man was his height at least, long green hair draped over his shoulders, obscuring part of his young face. He had on the standard issue grey prison uniform but what made this man so different was what bound him.   
  
Shackles on his ankles and wrists anchored him by chains to the back wall. None of the others had anything like this, they were at least free to move about their cell as they desired. But it seemed this man was deemed too much of a threat for even that amount of freedom. He stepped up to the glass as close as he could before the chains caught him. He wasn't able to touch the glass.  
  
"Jae-Ha," Kija snarled. He turned to Mun-Dok with venom in his voice. "Why this man?!"  
  
"Release him and you'll find out." Mun-Dok replied casually. Jae-Ha perked up at this, clearly intrigued by what was going on.   
  
"Release him?!" Kija yelled. "Do you have any idea how long it took to catch him?! And you just want me to let him go?!"  
  
"Now, now," Mun-Dok shook his head. "We're making a deal for this mission but I'm not doing that in front of the other prisoners knowing you'll make a scene. He will have you and four armed guards until we can square away something official."   
  
Kija opened and closed his mouth like a gaping fish, unable to come up with an argument for the Director's demands. Finally he sighed and pulled his wrist to his mouth. He spoke into a small communicator around his wrist, calling for the guards responsible for prisoner transfer.   
  
Jae-Ha had remained pleasantly quiet throughout this whole exchange, focused instead on winking suggestively to Yona at Hak's side. Hak glared him down threateningly. He didn't like this man either .   
  
After a couple strained minutes of Jae-Ha humming happily and Kija ignoring his pleas for attention, the guards arrived. Kija walked with the four armed men to the side of the cell where a hidden panel was pushed open and he slid his badge and entered some numbers on a keypad. Before the door opened Kija called out to the prisoner.   
  
"Step to the back wall." His voice no longer sounded nervous or flustered, but confident and commanding. Jae-Ha bowed low before retreating back into the darkness. The lights flicked on as the nearly invisible glass door slid open. As promised, Jae-Ha stood against the back wall.  
  
"Face the wall." Kija called to him again. "Hands and feet shoulder width apart. Palms on the wall."  
  
Jae-Ha complied immediately as Kija approached with the guards. He sent a smile over his shoulder to the white haired man who decidedly ignored it. Kija stood behind the chained man, looking him up and down for a moment.   
  
"Do you have anything on your person that could injure me?" Kija asked like he was reading lines from a book. Yona and Hak, who were watching from outside the cell, knew these commands and questions were standard protocol when dealing with criminals or prisoners. Even Hak was surprised by some of the things prisoners managed to get a hold of while in their cells.   
  
"I don't bite, love." Jae-Ha laughed. "Maybe."  
  
"Answer the question, prisoner." Kija snarled.   
  
Jae-Ha let out a low whistle. "You're no fun. But no, I have nothing on me but clothes and chains."  
  
The last line came out like he was on edge. Clearly a sore spot for him. Hak couldn't blame him, and Yona suddenly felt bad for him. Neither knew of his crimes but the chains still seemed a bit much.   
  
They watched as Kija leaned into Jae-Ha's back, swiftly moving his hands up and down his frame in search of anything that shouldn't be there. When his pat down reached the taller man's hips, Jae-Ha growled suggestively.   
  
"At least buy me a drink first before things get physical," Jae-Ha purred.  
  
"Silence." Kija barked back without missing a beat. But Jae-Ha caught his slight blush and giggled to himself.   
  
Kija finished inspecting him then unlocked the shackles at his wrist, one at a time, then pulled his arms behind his back. He handcuffed him again before moving on to his ankles. Once his legs were free, Kija made him wear canvas shoes that Jae-Ha seemed to hate and walked him from his cell with a rough push.  
  
"I'll never get over how strong you are for your pretty little frame." Jae-Ha teased. "If the whole walk is gonna be like this, I'd rather the cute redhead guide me."  
  
Hak stepped forward, encroaching upon Jae-Ha's space. He took a step back from the brooding man, colliding with Kija's chest. Mun-Dok smacked the back of Hak's head before he could even get a word out.   
  
"On second thought," Jae-Ha laughed nervously. "Snowflake is just fine."  
  
The walk back to the conference room was awkward to say the least. Jae-Ha held his head high and if it wasn't for the four assault rifles trained on him as he walked, he probably would be hitting on anything with legs as they passed. Kija led his prisoner through his department and then allowed Mun-Dok to take the lead.   
  
"Yona," Hak whispered to his partner from the back of the group. He kept a trained eye on Jae-Ha as they walked. She sent a glance his way to let him know she was listening.  
  
"If this man joins us, don't ever be alone with him." Hak warned.   
  
Yona huffed. "I know that. Even I can tell he's probably the highest ranked criminal we have."  
  
Hak sighed in relief, grateful she wasn't fighting him on this. She had a tendency to try and see the good in others no matter how foul they were. But before he could relax fully, she spoke again.   
  
"But that doesn't mean we get to treat him like an animal." She spoke a little louder this time and if she intended for Jae-Ha to hear, she had achieved just that.   
  
The green haired man sent a small smile over his shoulder. Hak immediately went on the defensive, expecting some flirtatious comment to be thrown at her. But Jae-Ha left it at that, his eyes softening like he was sad. She returned the smile, hers genuine and bright.   
  
The conference room from before was surprisingly occupied upon their return. Hak instantly recognized the man who sat in the seat facing the door. His short blue hair and golden eyes were a dead giveaway as to his identity. Shin-Ah, the world's best marksman rumored to be able to make a kill shot at 200 yards with no scope, was apparently a part of their team. Next to him sat a larger man with the same shade of blue hair, but his was long and unruly like a wild beast. His muscular arms were crossed over his chest as he watched the parade of people with distaste. Hak recognized this man as Ao, who had been the best marksman before he trained the prodigy sitting next to him. The only person he didn't recognize, Yona did.   
  
"Zeno!" She rushed forward, bumping past Jae-Ha (nearly sending Hak into cardiac arrest) and threw her arms around the short blonde man. He laughed and caught her, squeezing back for a moment.   
  
"Little Miss!" He called happily, releasing her from his clutches. "I'm glad you're on this mission too!"  
  
"You too?" Yona asked.  
  
"Yes, Miss!" He smiled at her then noticed the rest of the group. "Sure is a lot of people."  
  
Yona followed his gaze to watch the flurry of people as they took their seats. Hak stood by her side the entire time, which was a normal thing for them. Generally she ran where she wanted and Hak followed without question. It worked and they never thought it was important enough to bring up in conversation.

Kija shoved Jae-Ha into a chair at the back of the room, the guards taking their posts by the doors.   
  
"I didn't know you liked it so rough, sweetheart." Jae-Ha looked up Kija who was standing over him with a sullen expression.   
  
"S-shut up." Kija stuttered. He cleared his throat then spoke again. "Don't think I won't put you back in that cell."  
  
"Sure, sure," Jae-Ha replied flippantly.   
  
"Alright, everyone take your seats." Mun-Dok spoke over the various conversations taking place throughout the room. Yona plopped down next to Zeno, Hak on her other side. Ao flashed a curious gaze across the table, brow raised at the young redhead. Shin-Ah sat quietly at his side, clearly not interested in anything that was happening. All the while, Jae-Ha who sat several seats away from the rest of the group, sighed exasperatedly.   
  
"Right." Mun-Dok started. "First order of business. I'm sure you noticed our friend with an entourage at the back."  
  
All eyes went back to Jae-Ha who winked at the group. He loved attention even if it was negative. Kija rolled his eyes.   
  
"This is Jae-Ha, a skilled assassin who will be joining you on your mission." Mun-Dok braced for the uproar.   
  
Nothing happened. The room was silent. He glanced warily around waiting for someone, mostly Hak, to start shouting. But not even his adopted grandson was riled by this. Granted, he had already let slip his plans but he thought he would hear the worst of it now that they were mostly alone.   
  
A hand raised, catching Mun-Dok's attention. It was Zeno.   
  
"Ah, you can just speak, Zeno." Mun-Dok chuckled.   
  
"Mm, yeah," the blonde said. "I'm guessing you need him bad enough or you wouldn't go through with this but where is the guarantee he won't...ah...misbehave?"  
  
"Hm," Mun-Dok scratched at his beard for a moment like he was considering his words. "Kija is in control of Jae-Ha. Plus I'm about to offer him a deal he can't refuse."  
  
Jae-Ha sat up straighter, eyes brighter than they'd been since he was released from his cell. "I'm listening."  
  
"You offer your aide to my team while the mission is live, following every order they and Kija give you. Once the mission is complete and Kija gives you a clean behavior report, you're a free man." Mun-Dok finished with a knowing look to the prisoner.   
  
"Fr....free?" Jae-Ha blinked slowly, his face an unreadable mask. Kija on the other hand was very expressive.   
  
"WHAT?" He shouted. Jae-Ha sighed beneath him. "Director, surely you can't be serious!"  
  
"I am," Mun-Dok responded with a sense of finality to his tone. "It's time you start trusting my judgement, Kija. I am your boss, after all."  
  
Kija clamped his mouth shut, then plopped down in the seat next to Jae-Ha. He nodded numbly, trying to force himself to remain calm despite everything screaming at him that this was a bad idea.   
  
"Now, now Snowflake." Jae-Ha scooted his chair closer, unable to touch him with his hands cuffed behind his back. "I'll be a good boy, I promise."   
  
"Somehow," Kija deadpanned. "That doesn't reassure me."  
  
"Your answer, Jae-Ha." Mun-Dok called. The room fell silent as they waited his response.   
  
Jae-Ha looked around the room, taking in each of his new team members individually. Hak seemed to be silently shouting that he could shove it and go back to his cell for all he cared. No surprises there. The little redhead at his side gave him a small thumbs up which promptly melted his heart. Poor girl, he thought. The others seemed to be more or less indifferent and that was enough to sway him.   
  
"Alright, Mun-Dok." Jae-Ha smiled. "I agree to your deal."  
  
Mun-Dok clapped his hands once making Shin-Ah, who sat just to his left, jump. "Take off his cuffs and get him a change of clothes. From this point on, he's your teammate." **  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much guys for all the lovely comments and support on the first chapter!! As a gift here's an extra long chapter two ;)

Jae-Ha cleaned up well. It was easy to see he had sharp features and bright eyes, but buried beneath those baggy clothes and overgrown locks was an incredibly charming man. Kija escorted him out so he could change into a dark purple dress shirt and black slacks. His hair was neatly pulled back by an orange ribbon set in a simple bow, revealing his handsome face. Now shackle free and a grumpy Kija in tow, Jae-Ha took a seat next to Ao.   
  
"Welcome aboard." Ao gave Jae-Ha a quick glance out of the corner of his eye, tone a lot less friendly than the statement would lead one to believe. Jae-Ha raised a brow in response, realizing the gruff man wasn't necessarily being unkind.   
  
"Thank you." Jae-Ha smiled sincerely.   
  
"Now then," Mun-Dok spoke up before any further interruptions could distract him from his goal. "Everyone is here and I can explain your mission."  
  
The agents zeroed in on the older man who stood at the front of the room, watching with avid interest as the projector went live and an image of a man appeared on the screen.   
  
"This is Yang Kum-Ji." Mun-Dok's voice carried throughout the small conference room.   
  
It was a candid photo, just as he seemed to be ducking into the backseat of a black car. But the shot was good. It was obviously taken through a sniper's scope, judging by the level of grain in the photo. The man he spoke of was portly with dark brown hair and a trimmed beard to match. His face itself was rugged like he'd spent too long out in the sun.   
  
"For the past five years he's been the interim dictator of Awa, a small country across the ocean." Mun-Dok flipped to the next image, depicting a second candid shot of the man, this time with a person at his side. "Kye-Sook is his right hand man."  
  
Kye-Sook's long, black hair nearly obscured his face but it was clear as day how haunted his eyes were. No one dared to interrupt, only looking on with growing curiosity.   
  
"The government of Awa does not recognize either of them or their men as holding office," Mun-Dok continued. "He controls a human trafficking ring and has become so powerful due to the small size of the country and their lack of military personnel, that the official government can't do anything to stop him."  
  
He did a once over around the room, noting the look of anger in Yona's eyes and the hard stare he received back from Hak. He had definitely picked the right people to lead this mission.   
  
"That's merely a backstory for you." Mun-Dok said flippantly. He switched to the next slide and, as expected, heard a small gasp from his captive audience. "Seven months ago one of our own, Soo-Won, went undercover in Awa to get close to Kum-Ji and his inner circle."  
  
The image this time was a candid shot of Soo-Won, the golden haired man Hak and Yona frequently teamed with, sitting at a cafe with Kye-Sook. They looked to be having a light conversation, or so Hak surmised by the laughter in his long-time friend's eyes.   
  
The image on the screen changed again to a radar image of the country of Awa itself. There was an active, blinking light shining from an area near one of the nation's coasts. The closest name for a town was Port City.   
  
"One month ago, July 16th to be more precise, we received a distress signal." Mun-Dok leaned forward on the table, bracing his weight with the palms of his hands. "Zeno picked it up and determined it was one of our own devices. Which means, most likely—"  
  
"Soo-Won has been compromised," Hak growled as his fists clenched on the tabletop.   
  
"We don't know that for sure," Zeno piped up then leaned past Yona to send them both a reassuring smile.   
  
"But that is the assumption we are making," Mun-Dok clarified. "He is privy to very sensitive information that could be detrimental to our country as a whole. Thus, if he has been compromised, his timely rescue is of the utmost importance."

“Why have we waited so long?” Hak asked, trying to reign in his frustration. “It’s been a month, for fuck’s sake.”

“These things take time, Hak.” Mun-Dok sighed and ran a hand through his grey hair. “We had to make sure it was our device and then ascertain it wasn’t a fluke.”

Jae-Ha, who had been silently nodding along the whole time, spoke up much to Kija's dismay. "So our mission is not to finish what Pretty Boy started, but to rescue him instead?"   
  
"Correct," Mun-Dok agreed.   
  
"Let me see if I understand you fully." Jae-Ha  leaned over the table, hands clasped on its surface. Kija twitched irritably at his side. "We are to risk seven months of effort Pretty Boy has put into this job, seven months of putting his life on the line to take this trash down, and rescue him?"  
  
"That is your mission." Mun-Dok stated, a hint of understanding in his tone.  
  
Jae-Ha hummed thoughtfully for a moment and Ao's mouth pulled into a small smile next to him. It seemed they were both on the same track of thinking.   
  
"Jae-Ha, you're out of line." Kija hissed in his ear. Normally the green haired man would make a lewd comment back to him, but he was on edge and instead waved at him distractedly like he were a fly. Jae-Ha continued to stare down Mun-Dok as he spoke.   
  
"Pardon my rude language, but what the fuck will that accomplish? Wouldn't eliminating him be more efficient if his knowledge leaking is the issue?" Jae-Ha glanced to his right momentarily when he heard a quiet cough from Ao, clearly meant to cover a laugh.   
  
"That's it." Kija stood from his chair, ready to turn and order Jae-Ha's silence. "You don't get to question orders. It's isn't your place, prisoner—"  
  
"Enough." Jae-Ha's voice easily took over Kija's. He didn't shout or yell to be heard, but his commanding tone with its sense of finality was what silenced him. All eyes were now on them.   
  
Kija blinked in surprise, too shocked to say anything under the intense gaze of the man sitting next to him. His face was much more stern and cold than Kija could ever remember. Even when he had finally captured the assassin, he hadn't looked this frightening.  
  
"Are there chains on my wrists, Kija?" Jae-Ha growled threateningly, displaying his arms for all to see. Kija swallowed and couldn't decide if he was more intimidated by the rage he could feel or the use of his name by this normally sanguine man.   
  
He didn't respond. He couldn't even look away from the heated stare that held him.   
  
"Do I have a number printed across my back still?" Jae-Ha continued with the same intensity, but never stood to match Kija. In fact, if he had stood, his height would've easily towered over him. "Out there, in the field, you have to trust your back to me just as much as I have to trust mine to you. We are equals now. Get used to it."  
  
Jae-Ha finished with a sigh as he whipped his head back around to face Mun-Dok. He nodded, showing understanding to Jae-Ha's frustrations. Kija stood frozen for a moment longer before slowly taking his seat and keeping his eyes down to his fidgeting fingers.   
  
"To answer you, Jae-Ha," Mun-Dok said. "Soo-Won is more valuable alive than dead."

Jae-Ha leaned back into his chair, brow scrunched in thought. After a few moments he nodded in understanding.

Everyone else, who had been watching in stunned silence, awkwardly shifted in their seats, not knowing if it was appropriate to say anything to either of them. Apparently Ao did not have that thought. 

"I like this one." Ao jerked a thumb in Jae-Ha's direction, leaning in to talk to Shin-Ah. It was obviously not meant to be a whisper. Shin-Ah shrugged a shoulder and nodded in agreement.   
  
"Oh ho?" Jae-Ha perked up instantly, turning his chair to face Ao. "I don't believe we have been properly introduced. That's a shame seeing as you seem to be a man of good taste."  
  
Ao glanced back over his shoulder, eyeing the assassin with a stern gaze. He sat up and reached towards him for a handshake, which Jae-Ha accepted casually. "My kid likes you. You're too flamboyant for my tastes, as you called it, but you could be worse. I guess."  
  
"Something tells me that's high praise coming from you." Jae-Ha raised a brow, smirking at his new found ally. Ao merely grunted in response, dropping his hand like it offended him.   
  
"I think your boyfriend is crying." Ao shrugged as he stood, sending a glance to Kija. Jae-Ha tilted his head in confusion, like a stunned puppy, before realizing what he was talking about.   
  
As Ao moved to the front of the room, taking Mun-Dok's place under the projector screen, Jae-Ha turned back to Kija. He was still staring down at his fingers, wringing them anxiously in his lap. He ducked his head to see Kija's face despite still being a little irritated from how he'd been treated.

"Hey, um..." Jae-Ha tried, cautiously reaching his hand to the pale ones fidgeting nervously. At the last second he thought better of it, clenching his fist and letting it drop into his own lap.   
  
"Snowflake," Jae-Ha purred. "Don't tell me I hurt your little feelings?"  
  
Kija's head snapped up, eyes flashing angrily. Jae-Ha blinked in surprise, his eyes were red and although there weren't any tears to be seen now, Ao might've not been far off the mark.   
  
"Of course not!" Kija huffed, promptly adjusting his tie nervously. He cleared his throat and sat up straighter, bringing his hands to lay still on the table instead of his lap. "You should be paying attention to the meeting, not me."  
  
Jae-Ha froze for a moment before chuckling darkly. "Whatever you say, buttercup."  
  
The atmosphere of the room shifted as everyone slowly forgot the small outburst from the "beast and handler" duo, and Ao took charge. For the first time Shin-Ah actually looked interested in what was going on and Hak was legitimately smiling. They were a peculiar bunch to say the least.   
  
"If you don't know who I am," Ao began. "Then whatever. I couldn't care less. But for those of you who do—"

"Ao." A quiet voice spoke out. Ao stopped, sighing as he turned to face his pupil.

"Yes Shin-Ah, that's my name. Thank you," Ao grumbled. "Okay fine, I'm Ao. Now you all know. Anyway, the point is I'm here for the nitty-gritty details of your field work."  
Shin-Ah settled back into his chair, clearly pleased with himself. With a sigh, Ao continued with the debriefing.

"You'll need code names first off." Ao reached under the table and procured a box full of folders. He leafed through them for a moment before sliding them each across the table to their designated person.

"Those files have your own code names as well as your teams and any relevant information you personally need to know about them. So don't share with your neighbor or I'll wring your neck." Ao watched them carefully as they read their own files. After exactly five minutes he took the files back.

"So anyway—" Ao began, but was interrupted by a hand being raised. "What the hell? Didn't Mun-Dok say you could just speak?"

"Mm, yes," Zeno replied. "But don't you think giving us private information on each other will breed distrust among the team?"

"Do you not trust them anymore?" Ao asked with a gruff tone.

"Not me, no." Zeno smiled. "But I have nothing to hide. I can't say the same for others in this room, though."

Ao sighed heavily. "We selected you six for a reason. If we thought something as simple as this would break you apart, then you wouldn't have made the team."

Zeno's smile widened as he looked to each member in turn. No one else appeared to be bothered by information being shared amongst the team. They had a lot of faith in the Director.

"Great," Ao deadpanned. "The next person who interrupts, swims to Awa."

An hour later, and after many callous remarks from Ao about sending children on a mission, the meeting concluded with a surprise announcement from Mun-Dok.

“You have three hours to prepare and meet at Ao’s house. As you know, pack light—"

“I’m sorry, what?” Ao interrupted.

“I said they have three hours to be at your house.” Mun-Dok repeated.

Ao chuckled. “You’re joking, right?”

Mun-Dok turned to him, clearly confused. “Is that not enough time for you?”

“ _My_ house?!” Ao blurted out. “When the hell did we decide that?!”

“We discussed this last—”

“Nope! We really fucking didn’t!” Ao threw his hands up before storming off towards the door. He paused with his fingers gripping the handle and looked back. “Shin-ah we have cleaning to do.” His shy protegee quickly followed after him without another word to anyone.

The silence they left behind was palpable. Throughout Ao’s entire speech Yona had been eerily quiet. Hak picked up on it and had tried multiple times to reach out to her for a simple touch or some sign that she was mentally present. But all his efforts were met with a brick wall. She wouldn’t let him in.

“Yona.” Hak spoke once they were alone in the room. “You don’t have to do this.”

Her eyes finally lit up. She stood from her chair so abruptly that it surprised Hak, and he watched as she turned away. Her delicate heels clacked against the tile in quick succession, the sound bouncing off the walls. She stopped at the door with her back to him still.

“Do not pity me,” she sneered. “We both care about him, I am no different than you.”

With that, she left him behind.

\---

“Is Red dating Mr. Broody?” Jae-Ha asked over the top of a book he was reading.

Kija huffed, dropping the shirt he had been folding into his travel bag. He rolled his eyes as he zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder. Jae-Ha had been packed and ready to go for the better part of an hour as Kija flitted about his own apartment. The armed guards were gone and since Jae-Ha really didn’t have a home and the only clothes and weapons he had were provided by Mun-Dok, he found himself at Kija’s tiny apartment.

“Learn our names.” Kija replied flatly, snatching his book from Jae-Ha’s clutches.

Jae-Ha stood and grabbed his own bag when Kija headed out the front door. “Their relationship wasn’t in my file so I’m just curious.”

“Don’t ignore me.” Kija said with a scowl. They made their way down the stairs to a taxi waiting at the curb.

When they approached the cab, Jae-Ha smirked. “Wanna know what my file said about you?”

Kija braced himself against the door of the taxi, taking in a calming breath, then he flung the door open and crawled inside. Jae-Ha snickered and clambered in after him.

“C’mon, it’s a simple question,” Jae-ha coaxed.

Kija finally responded after a few moments of strained quiet. “I don’t know, and no.”

“So, Red could be single and you’re okay not knowing what juicy details I have on you.” Jae-Ha clarified with a haughty tone.

“Not gonna work.” Kija turned and watched the trees fly by outside..

Jae-Ha chuckled lightly. “Okay, Snowflake.”

“Here’s my first command,” Kija snapped. He looked back to Jae-Ha in his irritation. “Shut the hell up.”

“Okay, Snowflake.”

\---

Kija rang the doorbell of the address they received. They were late and he blamed it entirely on Jae-Ha even though that was far from the truth. He just found it easier to make him at fault for everything and move on. Jae-Ha stood at his side, leaned up against the simple red brick of the small house.

The door opened to reveal Ao with his hair in a high ponytail, a butcher knife in one hand, and a peach colored apron hugging his hips. He stared blankly at them long enough for Kija to feel uncomfortable and clear his throat. Ao grunted and stepped aside to allow them in.

“Nice apron,” Jae-Ha smirked.

“It was a gift,” Ao replied with slight disdain.

Kija sat his bag down on the living room sofa, careful to avoid the curled ball of blankets he was sure a person was hiding under, then ventured towards the kitchen. He could hear voices murmuring through the wall and when he rounded the corner, he found that he and Jae-Ha were the last to arrive.

“Nice of you and your pet to join us,” Hak laughed from where he sat at the kitchen table.

“Hak!” Yona barked.

Hak flinched and sent her a pleading look. “He can’t hear me through the wall.”

“My ears work just fine.” Jae-Ha called from the next room. He entered the kitchen behind Kija and gave Hak a dark look. “But I’d love for you to say that again.”

A loud clang from the stove made everyone jump. Ao had slammed a pot down onto it’s metal surface and was now glaring at them. He eyed each person then stopped on Hak and Jae-Ha, mere feet from each other.

“Must I remind you children that you are in _my_ house for some fucking reason and that means you follow my rules,” Ao scolded. “Rule number one: Don’t fucking talk to each other. Or me. But mostly me.”

After one final sweep of the team, he turned back to his pot and switched on the burner. The others watched as he dumped vegetables and some kind of chopped meat into the pot, followed by a spicy smelling broth. He worked with jerky movements like everything offended him, slamming the salt shaker and throwing the potato peelings into the sink with a wet splat.

Eventually Hak cleared his throat and looked to Jae-Ha.

“Sorry,” he mumbled in a hushed whisper.

Jae-Ha nodded in acknowledgment. “Same,” he replied

They sat around the table in strained silence, then when the stew was ready they ate in the same strained silence. Ao was perfectly happy with the quiet and was even willing to rouse Shin-Ah from the mess of blankets himself as opposed to yelling from the kitchen that supper was ready. Once dinner was finished he finally allowed them to speak again.

“These are your plane tickets.” Ao laid three separate envelopes on the table. “You will travel in pairs on three domestic flights to Awa throughout the day tomorrow. It will be low profile and simple enough to not rouse any suspicion. Hopefully. When you get to the passport check, put on a fake ass smile and lie.”

“I know,” Ao continued. “Hak and Yona, you’re both field agents and this is nothing new to you. But the rest of you don’t know shit so listen well.”

He passed an envelope to Kija who promptly opened it and checked his flight time. Of course the second ticket inside had Jae-Ha’s name on it. Not his real name, of course, but an assumed one given to him by the HDA. Complete with fake passports and driver’s licenses. Kija groaned internally realizing he would be stuck on an eight hour flight with no break from the most infuriating man on the planet.

“Shin-Ah, you’ll be with blondie here.” Ao clapped Zeno on the shoulder. He squeaked and rubbed at the spot that would surely leave a red handprint. “Don’t worry, blondie. My boy knows what to do.”

Zeno nodded numbly, not willing to argue that he was the one who sat up this flight arrangement in the first place. Shin-Ah was watching Yona stir at her half eaten soup with a sullen expression. He was lost in her movements and was honestly not paying attention to anything going on around him.

“Kija and Jae-Ha, you’re a team and then naturally Yona will be with Hak. You two work best together.” Ao finished passing out the envelopes then stood from the table. “I don’t have spare rooms so just find some place far away from each other and sleep in it.”

Ao left without another word and then the tension finally broke when there was the sound of a door slamming down the hall.

“Talk about intensity,” Zeno chuckled nervously.

“Ao isn’t that bad,” Shin-Ah spoke to them for the first time.

Everyone was genuinely surprised to hear him say anything at all. They were even more surprised when he continued to speak.

“Yona?” He asked. She abruptly looked up from her cold stew. “We’ll find Soo-Won. I promise.”

Her shoulders slumped and despite the dark place her thoughts had fallen to, she smiled at him.

“I know, Shin-Ah.” She leaned into Hak, who quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He smiled into her hair then placed a gentle kiss to her head.

“Well that answers _that_ question.” Jae-Ha laughed at the young couple then stood from the table. “I saw a nice recliner on the way in and I think I’ll claim that for the evening.”

Kija made a mental note to find the farthest corner in the house from that recliner. The last thing he wanted was to be asleep and vulnerable anywhere near Jae-Ha. He sighed internally knowing he had to stay close as part of his job, so he followed him into the living room anyway.

Jae-Ha was already lounged out in the recliner when Kija entered the room, his hands tucked behind his head. He cracked open his eye, annoying Kija with a wide grin.

“I can’t escape from you even while resting, I see.” Jae-Ha commented.

Kija sat down on the floor beside the recliner and leaned against its side. “Be careful what you say, I might just assume you mean to make a run for it.”

Jae-Ha leaned over the side to peer into Kija’s eyes, upside down. “Promise you’ll chase me again.”

Kija’s eyes widened for a moment before he pushed Jae-Ha away. “Unfortunately, it’s my job to chase you.”

With a satisfied grin, Jae-Ha leaned back into his chair, content for the night.

\---

“ _Now boarding Flight 247, all passengers now boarding Flight 247_.”

The monotone voice called over the airport intercom, announcing the first flight to Awa for the day.  Kija picked up his carry-on, having already checked his fake regular luggage full of clothes that weren’t his at the front desk. Ao had prepared a large luggage bag for each pair to complete the “simple tourist” look. Naturally those bags contained all of their gear buried under the clothes. To top it off, the man at the check-in desk and a few more behind the scenes, had been HDA agents undercover so as to make sure those weapons and gear didn’t accidentally go through any official scanners.

Jae-Ha smiled at the back of Kija’s head as they boarded. So far Kija had tolerated his presence and hadn’t had any loud outbursts of protest when he spoke. Whether or not that was a good sign wasn’t clear, but for now Jae-Ha would accept it and play his part.

They took their seats, Jae-Ha requested the aisle and Kija was refusing to talk to him so he merely slid over and glared out the window. Others started to file in and since they were closer to the front it was a while before anyone sat across from them on the other side of the small aisle.

“So what’s our story?” Jae-Ha whispered casually, eyes roaming over the magazine in his hands.

“Pardon?” Kija mumbled back, disappointed his vow of silence had been broken so soon.

“Y’know,” Jae-Ha shrugged then flipped the page. “The cover we’re using at the passport check.”

“We’re on vacation,” Kija said with a clipped tone.

“Two men?” Jae-Ha pushed. “Alone? _Just_ for vacation? What good friends we must be.”

“Are you being sarcastic?” Kija leaned over the arm of the seat to whisper angrily at Jae-Ha.

Jae-Ha sighed then closed the magazine, setting it in his lap. “I’d tell you my idea but I know you’re going to hate-”

“Excuse me,” a voice called to their left. They both froze then looked to see a blonde woman standing over them in the aisle. She wore a pastel, floral sundress and had dark shades resting on her head. She smiled delicately then hoisted up her bag.

“May I put this in your overhead compartment? I’m sitting across from you and mine is full.” She smiled sweetly again as Jae-Ha stood.

“Of course you can, dear. Allow me.” He took her bag from her and she laughed in surprise.

“You didn’t have to do that.” She said, eyes sincere and grateful. “But thank you, sir.”

“Not at all,” Jae-Ha replied as he took his seat. The blonde woman sat in the aisle seat directly across from him, next to another woman with short, dark hair.

“I’m Shu-Ten, by the way.” Jae-Ha gave her the fake name printed on his passport, along with a friendly handshake.

“Tetora,” she responded. She leaned back and motioned to the woman beside her. “This is my newly wedded wife, Ayura.”

Ayura looked up from the phone in her lap long enough to make eye contact with Jae-Ha and send a quick grin. Tetora beamed at her and allowed her to go back to her game of tetris.

“She’s shy.” Tetora explained with a dreamy expression on her face.

Jae-Ha chuckled and nodded back to Kija. “So’s my newly wedded husband.”

Kija promptly choked on the bottled water he’d been drinking. He sputtered as Jae-Ha dabbed at his shirt with a tissue he’d pulled from his pocket like a good, doting husband would. Kija swatted his hands away hurriedly.

“Are you alright, my love?” Jae-Ha asked in the most godawful and sweet tone he could muster.

“Husband?!” Kija growled in a hushed whisper. He tried to correct how very inaccurate that statement was but then Tetora was hovering over them, handing them more napkins. Kija was forced to remain quiet so as to not blow their cover to a civilian.

“Are you alright? Did it go down the wrong pipe?” Tetora asked as she sat back down. “That happens to me all the time, so don’t be embarrassed.”

He coughed a couple more times before the pain was gone. Jae-Ha smiled at him expectantly, so Kija clenched his jaw, sending him a deathly glare.

“Thank you...dear.” Kija ground out with a million dollar smile on his face. Jae-Ha took his left hand in his own then looked back to the women. Kija used his iron grip to his advantage, hoping to get his message across.

“So you’re newlyweds too?” Tetora asked brightly. “When was the wedding?”

“It was last week, at the most gorgeous little chapel I’ve ever seen.” Jae-Ha said proudly. Kija could feel his soul slowly leaving his body.

“Naturally, Gu-En, my lovely husband here, sat it all up for me. He knew my dream was to get married in this little chapel but he waited until a month before the wedding to even tell me he’d had it reserved all along! Imagine my surprise!” Jae-Ha was incredibly enthusiastic about his fake marriage and the fake little chapel. He had Tetora sitting on pins and needles.

“The best part is our matching rings, just look at mine!” Jae-Ha held out his left hand to reveal a silver band on his ring finger. It was plain except for the elegant flowing design that was lightly etched onto its surface. It faintly resembled rolling waves.

Kija quickly realized a hole in that lie. He had no ring to complete the matching set and on top of that, the realization that Jae-Ha had planned this all along hit him like a ton of bricks. Before he could protest Tetora was looking to him with stars in her eyes.

“Let’s see yours too, Gu-En!” She leaned into the aisle since the plane hadn’t started moving yet.

Kija panicked for a moment, his left hand was still being held by Jae-Ha and he didn’t know how to silently ask him _what the fuck he was supposed to do_. But Jae-Ha was two steps ahead, and with a satisfied grin he pulled on Kija’s hand to display the shining ring that rested on his finger.

Kija sat dumbfounded, tugged over the arm of the seat, staring blankly at the ring he didn’t remember putting on. It was an exact copy of Jae-Ha’s ring and Tetora was completely infatuated with them. Jae-Ha finally released his hand, and left him to stare at the piece of metal on his finger.

Once the plane started to taxi towards the runway, Tetora turned back to talk to her wife. Jae-Ha proudly flipped open the magazine and hummed to himself. He patiently waited for the scolding he knew was coming.

“How did you get this ring on my finger?” Kija held the piece of metal in his hand, brandishing it in front of Jae-Ha.

“When we held hands, dear.” Jae-Ha replied sweetly.

“You’re loving this, aren’t you?” Kija slipped the ring back on, much to his disdain.

Jae-Ha chuckled. “Quite a bit, yes.”

Kija was right to dread this flight. The eight hours were insufferable, being crammed next to Jae-Ha and the window. Most of the time Tetora was chattering on about their honeymoon plans in this tiny resort villa in Awa. Apparently not all of the country was suffering. Jae-Ha couldn’t keep his mouth shut and blabbed away about this secluded beach they were supposedly staying at far from that villa. Kija was at least grateful he’d made sure to not give an exact location. He wasn’t even sure if Jae-Ha was making up the beach to begin with.

But the worst part of the flight for Kija was when Jae-Ha fabricated their fake life as a couple. He smiled and nodded when he was called upon but mostly tried not to murder Jae-Ha right then and there for saying how cute his nose was. At one point he even said something about Kija’s athletic ability and strength, which was a little too close to the truth. In fact, the truth of how they met was starting to bleed into the lies.

“Did you know Gu-En’s favorite color is white?” Jae-Ha smiled at Tetora and now even Ayura since she seemed just as intrigued by their fake life. “He has this soft white peacoat and when it snows, and I mean the fluffy powder kind, not the mushy mess we normally get in late January, I’ll sometimes lose him in it.”

“That’s so funny!” Tetora giggled lightly. Ayura smiled warmly at her.

Kija scrunched his brow, trying to drown his voice out. He took to staring out the window, the afternoon sun was glaring mercilessly over the clouds.

“When we first met, it was snowing.” Jae-Ha said softly. Kija turned to him instantly, unable to see his face since he was leaning towards the girls. “He fell into a pile of snow and, for a moment, I almost lost him in it. It was very dark so it's a good thing I have sharp eyes.”

“That’s so romantic,” Tetora cooed.

“Okay I think we need alone time now.” Kija spoke up, trying to maintain his affectionate demeanor. He was failing quickly and he needed to shut Jae-Ha up before he completely lost his cool. Jae-Ha bid farewell to his new friends and reopened his magazine.

“That was too close to the truth, Jae-Ha.” Kija whispered behind the magazine.

Jae-Ha raised a confused brow to him. “That _was_ the truth, Snowflake.”

“So, _why_ ,” Kija quietly growled, “did you feel the need to say it?!”

Jae-Ha adjusted his magazine, elbowing Kija out of his general vicinity. “Because I have the freedom to do so.”

Kija sat back into his seat, unable to form a response to Jae-Ha that didn’t make his stomach churn. Thankfully, the rest of the flight was quiet and boring since the girls had fallen asleep and Jae-Ha tuned into an old movie that was playing. Kija sighed then watched the clouds float beneath them, daydreaming of his own bed back in Capital Fuuga.

\---

“What’s your business in Awa?” The airport security clerk asked in a bored tone. She personally didn’t appear to care what anyone was doing in Awa, but her badge required that she ask then stamp the passports.

Jae-Ha beamed brightly at her, arm tucked around Kija’s waist. “It’s our honeymoon. We heard the beaches were very pretty this time of year.”

“Right,” she replied. “You and everyone else apparently.”

She stamped the passports and passed them back through the little window. Jae-Ha tucked them into the front pocket of his blazer then pushed Kija, by the waist, past the checkpoint. His grip tightened as they walked through the wide hallway that led to baggage claim. To anyone else they appeared to be a happy couple who couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. But Kija was stiff and itching to shove Jae-Ha into the nearest trashcan.

“Relax your shoulders, love.” Jae-Ha whispered. “You look like you hate me.”

“Oh?” Kija replied sarcastically. “What gave that away?”

Jae-Ha pulled him closer to his side, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “We’re being followed.”

Kija immediately smiled and turned to meet Jae-Ha, looking him dead in the eye. For a moment Jae-Ha’s breath caught in his throat because Kija’s expression looked incredibly genuine and loving. He was entranced by his gaze for a moment before he realized Kija was only trying to play the part of a “newly wed” and was not actually being kind.

“What time do we check-in at the hotel?” Kija asked loud enough for anyone within earshot to hear.

Jae-Ha thought for a moment, knowing Kija wasn’t making just any old conversation. He was trying to determine the location of the pursuers and at the same time providing innocent remarks a normal tourist would make. Jae-Ha looked up, just for an instant, to peer into a rounded mirror meant to help see around corners. It was all he needed to place the two men he’d noticed at the checkpoint.

“Not until seven. So we have time for a little sightseeing if you want, love.” He sent Kija a wry smile as they entered baggage claim.

Kija nodded. He now knew the two men towards their seven o’clock were the ones following them. Jae-Ha released him as they picked up their bags. He checked the time on his watch, noting it was four in the afternoon. Their car was to arrive any minute and if these men got the license plate, it was game over before it even started.

“I need to make a run to the bathroom. I’ll be back in five.” Jae-Ha kissed the side of Kija’s head and nearly chuckled at his minute reaction. Kija could only fake so much.

“I’ll wait right outside for you, sweetie.” Kija smiled but was silently screaming in his head because he was just kissed by this man. Jae-Ha picked up his bag and walked off towards the bathroom. When he was gone, Kija instantly moved to stand in front of his luggage. He had visual contact on the man pretending to read the paper at the bench across the room. He was one of their pursuers.

Kija blocked his actions with his body as he reached behind himself and slipped his gun from the front pocket of his luggage. He tucked it into the empty holster attached to his belt, hidden under his jacket. Picking up his luggage, since Jae-Ha had taken his own with him, he headed for the exit.

Just as expected, the man followed. Kija smiled, and for once it was because he was actually pleased. It had been a long time since he'd done such exhilarating field work. Jae-Ha had been right about being them followed and when Kija made it outside, he turned and walked until he saw a small alley meant for garbage collection. With almost no fuss, he slipped down the alley like he was meant to be there. So, naturally, no one questioned it when he simply disappeared.

Kija retreated to the back and left his luggage behind the large, blue dumpster. There was a ladder attached to the side of the building and he scaled it to a small landing just out of range of normal peripheral vision. He watched from above as the man approached the front of the alleyway, then peer into it. He cautiously stepped towards the dumpster and when he got close, he reached into his hoodie and pulled out a gun.

Kija’s smile widened as he shook his head.  _Amateur_ , he thought. When the man jumped behind the dumpster, clearly thinking he would surprise Kija, and noticed there was nothing there, Kija jumped into action. With one shot, muffled by the silencer he’d already attached, Kija took him out. He landed a hit to the back of his head and the man fell forward, completely concealed by the bulk of the dumpster.

Kija jumped over the railing, landing in a crouch at the man's feet. He checked the end of the alley, people were hurrying past, clearly too busy to notice anything going on around them. Satisfied, he rolled the man further behind the dumpster and snapped a quick photo of his face with his phone.

"Not sure who you are," Kija spoke to the dead man. "But I can't afford to lose here."

He looked him over one final time before picking up his bag and heading back out into the light.

The car Ao described as the one to pick them up was waiting just a little further along the street. It was an unassuming dark blue sedan, a little weathered, with a University of Awa bumper sticker.

Kija slid into the empty backseat, setting his luggage between his legs. The driver was a young man with light brown hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. He eyed Kija through the rearview mirror.

"Name?" He asked, never taking his eyes off of Kija through the mirror.

"Hakuryuu." Kija stated his code name, knowing it was how he was supposed to identify himself to the other HDA agents.

"I'm Min-Soo. It's a pleasure serving you, sir." Min-Soo smiled then adjusted the mirror.

Not a moment later, the door to the street side opened and Jae-Ha slid into the backseat. He sat his bag in the middle seat then nodded to the driver.

"Name?" Min-Soo asked Jae-Ha the same question.

"Ryokuryuu." Jae-Ha replied. He tucked his hands into his blazer pockets with a small wince.

"What took so long?" Kija looked out of the window as the car drove away from the curb.

Jae-Ha pulled his hand from his pocket, showing off the cut that ran across his palm, fresh blood blotting its surface. "I'm a tad rusty with the garrote wire."

Kija eyed the line, clearly cut into his palm from his own wire, and shook his head. "Is it handled?"

"And locked in a stall," Jae-Ha joked. "Janitor will find him when he cleans tonight."

Kija and Jae-Ha looked up through the front window to see the desolate town known as Port City opening up before them. The city was old and the clouds covering the sky gave it all a haunted look. Their mission was already starting off with a bang and they'd barely made it into the country. Once they met up with the team at their motel, they'd have to divulge what had happened at the airport.

"Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen," Min-Soo called from the front seat. He smiled as he drove past the burned remains of a building. "But welcome to Awa."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a [Tumblr](http://sariahhime.tumblr.com)!


	3. Chapter 3

_Five Years Ago_

_Warehouse District, Capital Fuuga_

Frustration was all Kija was feeling lately. Constant, daily work had piled up over the past several months with his current case and tonight was proving to be the pinnacle of it all. He had barely donned his new identity as an HDA agent, fresh out of the academy, when his grades and skills had put him on the front lines. No rest for the talented.  
  
With a sigh, he straightened his favorite light blue tie, checked his reflection in the rear view mirror, then threw open the door to his car. Outside the snow crunched under his boots and the night wind whipped at his low ponytail, sending a shiver down his spine. With a gloved hand, he subconsciously checked for his pistol at his hip and strode towards the gathering crowd of policemen.   
  
"You must be the new head of the Criminal Analysis Department." The officer in charge approached Kija, thrusting a clipboard at his chest. "He's all yours, Sir."  
  
Kija frowned, vastly unimpressed with the portly man's disregard for respect. "My name is Kija."  
  
The officer nodded. "Nice to meet ya, Sir. Got a plan? Cause we sure are shit outta luck."  
  
Kija shook his head with a sigh, finally looking down at the papers pinned to the clipboard in his hands. It was a criminal report of a man that he had only heard about in rumors while in the academy. An assassin simply known as "Jae-Ha" was his target, had been for a few weeks now. The man had eluded capture for three years and it seemed Director Mun-Dok was tired of chasing him. Hence how he was suddenly in charge of his capture.  
  
Granted, the last several weeks Kija had been at the office until late every night pouring his strategies and efforts into locating this assassin. But he was getting tired of the chase and it hadn't even really started. Kija passed the clipboard back, much to the officer's surprise, and dusted some settling snow off the shoulder of his white coat.   
  
"Give me your three best marksmen, and the rest should set up blockades at every corner a mile each way down this street." Kija checked for his pistol again before sending a sharp glare to the officer. "No one enters or leaves this district. I don't care if it's your own mother. Got it?"  
  
"Yes, sir!" The officer stumbled a bit in his haste to dish out the orders he'd been given.   
  
Kija brought a hand to tug at his ponytail, pulling the white strands across his shoulder. He twirled the ends over his fingers as the men around him hustled and bustled between cop cars to move into position. He honestly had no idea how he was going to corner this man. They'd only just received solid info from an informant that the assassin had been taking shelter in the warehouse district last night.   
  
Seeing the rows of metal buildings and the narrow, dark spaces between them sparked his brain finally. It would be hard to see anyone once they left the main road and headed back into that maze of buildings. But the same would hold true for their target. He may be a skilled assassin but there was no way he could see in the dark. He was still human after all.   
  
If he could just corner him, hold the element of surprise long enough to ensnare the elusive fox, he could do this. He gave another tug to his hair before the crunch of snow alerted him to the officer returning.   
  
"These three are my best shots." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at some men in uniform behind him. "You really only need three?"  
  
"They'll work," Kija replied, already giving them a once-over.   
  
The portly officer sighed, running his tongue over his teeth. "No offense, Sir, but better men than you have gone at this asshole with entire squads and still failed. I know you're the new hot-shot around here but don't ya think you're underestimatin' this a tad?"  
  
Kija pulled his eyes from the three men and straightened up to his full height. He could practically feel the hairs bristling on the back of his neck. "I'll have you know I was hand picked by one of the "better men" you speak of to run this since you and your squads seem unable to capture one, solitary person."  
  
The portly officer's eyes darkened and if it wasn't for the hand on his shoulder by one of his marksmen, he probably would've sent his balled fist into Kija's face. Without another word, he marched to the first corner blockade to begin barking orders out of frustration.   
  
"Now that that's handled," Kija turned to the men that would form his private team. "You three are to follow me. Follow my orders and we'll have this man in no time."  
  
Kija gave the green light via the walkie talkie one of the marksmen had, then the four set off into the maze of warehouses. The informant was a trusted source from the HDA and according to their report, Jae-Ha was spotted entering warehouse number 7. They'd reviewed a map of the buildings so many times Kija thought his eyes would fall out of his head, but in the dark it wasn't easy to tell which way was which.  
  
Warehouse number 7 was towards the back, tucked under the control tower for the whole yard. According to the blueprint, the two were connected, meaning Jae-Ha could ideally be watching from above. All the more reason to have a small group under the cover of dark.   
  
The three followed him, snow making it difficult to move as smoothly as Kija would've liked. But they were highly trained and didn't at all seem to struggle in keeping up with him. They hugged the walls of the buildings, staying on the side of shadows when they passed under a lamppost. It was slow going and the snow starting to fall more heavily was making it difficult.   
  
They rounded one last corner and finally the front of warehouse 7 came into view. Above, a good hundred feet in the air was the top of the watch tower. Kija squinted up at it but it was too dark inside to tell if anyone was watching back. He gave a signal for the group to split, two would circle the back to access the tower, and Kija would take another to check the front to see if the warehouse was occupied.   
  
Maintaining the shadows, the men moved stealthily across the powdery white snow, taking careful steps along the way. Kija made it to the front with his partner, a brunette who seemed to be twice his age of twenty, just as the other two disappeared beyond the back.   
  
He took a deep breath to steady his hands clutching his gun, then counted mentally to three. He nodded and his partner carefully slid the latch; the metal door noisily swung open of its own accord. Kija swore silently but quickly aimed his weapon and stepped inside, his partner following right behind.  
  
It was darker inside than out, and the air was still. The two stood, breathing slowly, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the dim light of the moon as it shone through the dirty windows. Wooden pallets of whatever this place shipped (Kija hadn't bothered to look hard enough to figure it out) were stacked all around the large space. It was a good place to hide.  
  
After his eyes adjusted, Kija took to the right as his partner took the left side. He was expecting this place to be a dud, in all honesty. There was no way he would be so lucky as to actually surprise the HDA's most wanted criminal and manage to capture him on his first assignment. Jae-Ha had over two hundred confirmed kills so it was a dangerous game Kija was playing when he rounded the third row of pallets and lowered his weapon.  
  
He hadn't expected to find anything. Apparently the assassin hadn't either because he looked equally as surprised to see Kija. They stood face to face, a mere five feet from each other, both too stunned to move. It was definitely Jae-Ha, even in the dark Kija could see that ridiculous green hair.  
  
The assassin caught the glint of light off the gun at Kija's side. He was gone in the blink of an eye, then Kija was running. He ran at full sprint, following the dark figure as it leaped from pallet to pallet towards the front entrance. The assassin dashed through the still open door as Kija trailed right on his heels.   
  
This man was fast. His all black attire made it difficult to follow him between the buildings but when he fell into a patch of light, Kija tracked his trajectory. He barely was able to keep up, and if it wasn't for his higher than normal athletic ability, he wouldn't have stood a chance.   
  
Finally a dead end. Kija rounded the corner the assassin had disappeared behind and then froze. It was pitch black here and with three walls enclosing on him, it was hard to tell where his target was. Kija had no way of calling backup since the radio was with the partner he'd left behind in his haste to run. He mentally scolded himself for making such a rookie mistake in the heat of the moment.  
  
He stepped further into the darkness but the crunch of snow under his own feet made him halt.   
  
"You should feel proud." An alluring voice called out from somewhere in the darkness. Kija stiffened, gun aimed ahead.   
  
"Why?" Kija responded. He might as well humor him, he had him cornered anyway. Kija squinted into the night, trying to find the source of the voice.   
  
"I'll admit," the voice practically sang. "You surprised me back there. But that's not what you should feel proud of."  
  
The voice was moving in the dark and no matter how hard Kija focused, he couldn't hear the crunch of snow under his feet. He walked with a light step. He supposed it made sense since the man was an assassin and all.  
  
"Tell me," Kija prompted him when he fell quiet again. If he could keep him talking he could pinpoint his location long enough to put a bullet in him. "Why should I feel proud?"  
  
"You were able to follow me this far. That's impressive." The sultry voice was whispering in his ear. Kija jerked back on reflex, swiveling to aim his gun towards the space to his right. But then the presence he'd felt was gone.   
  
"It's a shame you're just a kid." The voice was further away this time, echoing off the walls. "Would've loved playing with you longer. Maybe when you're older."  
  
"I'm not a kid!" Kija snapped before he was able to stop himself. Something about this guy was getting under his skin. He took a step further into the darkness, fully aware of the snow coming up around his ankles.   
  
"Oh?" The voice was even further this time. "With a face like that, there's no way you're a hardened policeman."  
  
"I've had enough of your trickery," Kija growled. "Come on out. You're cornered."  
  
A deep laugh to his left had him pivoting his hips, bringing his gun to aim at the nothingness there as well. "I don't think I'm the one who is trapped."  
  
Kija was about to snap again, yell something obscene at the impossible assassin, but then a scuffle at the back of the alley caught his full attention. He ran towards it just in time to make out the faint outline of Jae-Ha scaling the side of the building.   
  
Kija dropped his gun as he pushed off a stack of crates against the wall with his legs, leaping towards the man making his escape. His fingers found purchase around his slender ankle, and then the assassin's fate was sealed. Kija's grip was like iron.   
  
Kija easily pulled him back down as he fell, fingers tight enough to bruise the slim leg beneath them. A small gasp of surprise from the assassin was the last thing Kija heard before he toppled back into a large pile of snow.  
  
He felt the weight of the man on top of himself before he saw him. With a grunt, Jae-Ha rolled off of Kija, gripping his head in his hands. He had received a good smack to it by the crates as he fell. He was far too delirious to stand.  
  
Kija had the wind knocked out of him and with the added weight of the assassin he'd brought down with him, he was nearly buried in the pile of fresh snow. He reoriented himself with a shake of his head and quickly struggled to get out of the snow. But then a hand wound its way around his upper arm, and before he could question it, it pulled him from where he was half-buried.   
  
Kija blinked slowly, looking from the hand around his arm to the man who had helped him. Jae-Ha was crouched over him, smiling like an idiot.   
  
"Y'know," Jae-Ha spoke. "You're pretty tough for a snowflake."  
  
"I'm not a snowflake!" Kija countered. He wasn't sure why he was playing along like this, it seemed this man made him say annoying things. "Why didn't you run while I was stuck?"  
  
Jae-Ha merely shrugged, sitting back on his heels. That's when Kija noticed the dark stain in the snow at his feet. He followed its trail up Jae-Ha's exposed arm to see a matte in his hair.   
  
"You hit your head, didn't you?" Kija wanted to use this to his advantage and capture him, but it honestly felt like Jae-Ha wasn't trying to run anymore. Kija was more impressed with his ability to bullshit than anything else.  
  
"I'm fine." Jae-Ha stood, then promptly wobbled before tipping back over. On reflex, Kija caught him, sending them both back into the snow.   
  
"This makes things easier," Kija mumbled. He was about to handcuff the barely conscious man when he got a better look at the wound. It was a pretty deep gash on the back of his head and the blood was flowing freely. He might bleed out if wasn't taken care of. He already hated himself for what he was about to do.   
  
A few minutes later Jae-Ha grumbled, slowly blinking open his eyes to see the cloudy night sky above. He felt the chill of the air all around him and the wet snow at his back. But his head was warm and fuzzy and his first thought was that he was done for. Surely he would be arrested now.   
  
When he tried to sit up a hand gripped his shoulder, holding him back. He tipped his head back to see a man as ethereal as the snow itself frowning at him. The little snowflake was still by his side and had even bandaged his head.  
  
"You're injured. Don't move." Kija grumbled when Jae-Ha gave him a dopey smile.  
  
"I'd love to stay here under your care, Snowflake—"  
  
"Stop calling me that!"  
  
"—but I'd rather not be arrested tonight."  
  
Jae-Ha had a knife at Kija's throat in less than a second, eyes glaring like a predator from where he lay in the prey's lap. Kija tensed, hands itching to reach for the pistol he had already put back in his holster.  
  
With his knife still in place, Jae-Ha slowly sat up to crouch face to face with the young agent. His eyes flashed down to his waist and he leaned in, hands reaching beneath Kija's coat as his lips found his ear.  
  
"It really is a shame you're so pretty." Jae-Ha chuckled as Kija stuttered. When he pulled back he waved the stolen pistol cheerily, tossing it away into the dark. "Can't have you filling me with lead."  
  
Kija gaped like a fish, face burning so much he was sure any snow falling there would melt instantly. "Wha-you! You're impossible!"  
  
Jae-Ha stood, still a tad uneasy, and grinned devilishly. As soon as he tucked the knife back into his boot where he had retrieved it from, Kija was on his feet. He may have lost his gun, but shooting was never his forte.  
  
He lunged at Jae-Ha, not even giving him a chance to try and run. Apparently he had now surprised the assassin for the second time that evening, because he was able to make contact. He gripped his arm, twisting it behind his larger frame, then knocked his legs out from under him.   
  
Jae-Ha's knees hit the snow but with a growl he momentarily went limp, throwing Kija off balance above him. The shock was enough for Jae-Ha to twist his body and arm back around, still in Kija's grasp, and place a hardy kick to his gut.   
  
Again, Kija had the wind knocked out of him, but he still had a hold of his target. He stumbled back, and Jae-Ha hissed in pain when the fingers around his arm tightened.   
  
"Damn, Snowflake," Jae-Ha winced. "What are you made of? Steel?"  
  
"My name," Kija coughed. The kick to his stomach was taking a toll on him more than he wanted to admit. "Is...is not...Snowflake."  
  
"Alright, alright!" Jae-Ha cried out, eyeing his arm warily. He was pretty sure it was broken. "I hate to say it but you've won. Please let go."  
  
Before Kija did, he reached into his coat with his free hand and procured a set of handcuffs. He attached one side to his own wrist and the other to Jae-Ha's non-injured one. Finally, and much to Jae-Ha's relief, he released his grip.  
  
They remained that way for awhile, Jae-Ha in the snow and Kija panting above him, shackled together. It would be a couple minutes before either was ready to walk. But Kija was eager to regroup with his men and take this guy in.   
  
"Well congrats, Snowflake." Jae-Ha sighed. Kija noted he seemed much more subdued now that he was handcuffed to him. "You caught me."  
  
"Kija." He responded coolly.  
  
"Pardon?" Jae-Ha raised a brow to him.  
  
"My name is Kija and I'm twenty years old," he said haughtily. "I'm currently the head of the Criminal Analysis Department and was specifically designated this case because the Director was tired of your shit. He thought I would be the perfect man to arrest you and, surprise, he was right."  
  
Jae-Ha blinked up at him, face blank. "Wow, you're not a pretty snowflake at all. You're an angry snowflake.  
  
Kija yanked his arm back, thus tugging on the handcuffs and pulling Jae-Ha closer to him. " _I am not a snowflake!!_ "  
  
"Don't worry, my grumpy love." Jae-Ha smirked, completely ignoring Kija's outburst. "I'd still do you."  
  
Kija froze mid-retort, jaw hanging open. Jae-Ha's eyes twinkled in the darkness and Kija could practically feel the shit eating grin on his face. He shoved Jae-Ha away roughly, causing him to fall back on his injured arm with a yelp.  
  
"You're disgusting." Kija snarled. Then he grabbed the front of Jae-Ha's shirt, easily lifting him to his feet. "We've rested enough. We're heading back."

\---

“Snowflake?” A voice called from somewhere far away.

“Hey that kinda hurts,” they continued. “Snow- _ow Kija!_ ”

Kija snapped back to reality. He looked down to see Jae-Ha’s partially bandaged hand in his own. His grip was making fresh blood pool in his palm. He dropped his hand instantly and Jae-Ha pulled it to his chest, nurturing his own wound. They sat in awkward silence in their hotel room for a moment before Kija found his voice.

“Sorry,” Kija mumbled. He took a breath then procured fresh bandages out of his bag from under the table where they sat.

“I think I’ll just wait for Red and Mr. Broody to arrive.” Jae-Ha eyed him warily, no longer wanting to be tended to by Kija’s rough touch.

“By then you’ll be bleeding on the carpet.” Kija reached out for his hand again. “I was just lost in thought.”

Jae-Ha smirked before tentatively displaying his injured palm. “Does this remind you of something?”

“Not at all.” Kija dabbed at the cut with a cotton ball, refusing to make eye contact.

“Not even a little bit?” Jae-Ha coaxed. “I have a scar on the back of my head that says otherwise.”

“I didn’t stitch you up.” Kija trashed the bloody cotton ball, then finished wrapping his hand.

“True,” Jae-Ha continued. He gently flexed his fingers, testing the tightness of the bandages. “But you took the time to stop the bleeding.”

“Or I would’ve carried back dead-weight,” Kija deadpanned, not at all interested in bringing up the past.

A knock on the door made them both freeze. Jae-Ha silently reached around the table to Kija and pulled his gun from the holster at his hip. Kija jumped in surprise but didn’t fight him when he winked suggestively. Jae-Ha crept towards the door and looked through the peephole, then waved at Kija to come closer.

“ _I don’t see anyone_ ,” he mouthed.

Kija slid the lock then cracked the door open. From behind the door, Jae-Ha stood at the ready, gun cocked, in case whoever was there meant to harm them.

“Damn, asshole.” Hak pushed the door open, marching right past an angry Kija and a relieved Jae-Ha. “What the fuck took so long to open the door?”

Yona scolded him on his manners as she ushered in after him. Jae-Ha sighed, slipping the gun back into Kija’s hip holster.

“Asshole?!” Kija raged. “We didn’t see anyone in the hall! After the fiasco at the airport, can you blame us for being cautious?!”

“Fiasco?” Yona asked concernedly. She stopped digging through her bag to look between the two men who’d arrived several hours before her.

Jae-Ha waved his injured palm with a dopey grin on his face. “It was nothing big, just a couple of pursuers.”

“We handled it,” Kija added. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. “This is one of them. Well, _was_ one of them.”

Yona took his phone, Hak looking on over her shoulder, and studied the image of the man Kija had taken. Jae-Ha apparently had had the same thought to take photos because he handed over his phone next.

“We’ll have to wait until Zeno gets here,” Hak said. “He has the images of Kum-Ji’s main circle and a few grunts. Hopefully we get a match.”

“What about Zeno?” A cheery voice piped up from the entranceway.

They all jumped but then relaxed when Zeno and Shin-Ah entered the room. Shin-Ah didn’t acknowledge anyone besides Yona, who ran to help him with his bags. Zeno, on the other hand, made sure to send a joyous greeting to everyone as Hak filled him in on what they had been discussing.

“Anything?” Hak asked some time later.

Zeno was squinting through a pair of reading glasses, scrolling through images at an inhuman speed. He was curled up in one of the arm chairs, laptop perched on his bent knees. He merely hummed in response, making Hak roll his eyes and flop down on the bed.

“He’s one person, Hak,” Yona said. “Be patient.”

“Aha!” Zeno jumped up from his seat, brandishing the laptop in the air for all to see.

Everyone gathered around, anxious to discover the two men’s identities. But there were no images of the men on the screen, not even any names or words at all. Just a simple background of a woman with short, dark hair.

“Ah, no…” Zeno hurriedly closed the laptop. “That’s not what I was trying to show you.”

“Didn’t expect him to have a woman back home,” Jae-Ha whispered to Kija. Kija merely rolled his eyes, elbowing Jae-Ha away from him.

“They weren’t in the database.” Zeno said after clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Oh, great.” Hak threw his hands up, stalking off to sit by Shin-Ah who had been huddled in the corner the whole time. Shin-Ah didn’t seem pleased that his personal space had been invaded.

“But,” Zeno continued. “I hacked into some local street cams through a remote address and found them at various points. I downloaded the pics to my phone.”

He flipped his cell around and scrolled through the various stills he’d taken off the video feed. Sure enough, the two men had been seen quite often around Port City over the past month or so, according to the date stamps.

“Wait,” Yona snatched the phone from Zeno, and scrolled back a few pics to one taken in low lighting. By the looks of the pic, it was in the evening and somewhere close to the coast since the ocean was in the background.

“So you saw him too, huh?” Zeno smiled sadly.

“Hak.” Yona waved him over and he was at her side almost instantly.

“Is that…?” Hak pulled the phone closer, as if the new angle would change the image on the screen.

“Pretty Boy sure looks very uncompromised.” Jae-Ha commented from where he was watching over Hak’s shoulder. “That was taken two days ago according to the date.”

“We don’t know what that image means.” Hak tossed the phone back to Zeno, and sent a glare to Jae-Ha.

“Were those not the two men who followed us at the airport, Snowflake? The ones at Soo-Won’s side?” Jae-Ha called to Kija who was looking rather nervous and tense.

He would’ve snapped at him for using that nickname, but after five years of hearing it he only twitched on occasion. “It was a poor image, but the shot was clear. Unfortunately, Jae-Ha is…”

“I’m what?” Jae-Ha slid up next to him, prodding him in the shoulder with a thin finger.

Kija huffed and shook his head. “Yes, those were the men we eliminated.”

“Aww,” Jae-Ha moaned exasperatedly. Then he turned back to Hak. “Well, you heard him. Pretty Boy is fraternizing, as free as the wind, it seems.”

Hak grew very red in the face, his fists balled at his sides. He took a step toward Jae-Ha, menacingly. “You better be careful what you say, you’re just a dog on a leash. But it sure sounds like you’re accusing an HDA agent of betrayal.”

“That’s enough.” Yona shoved a small hand into each of the men’s chests, pushing them away from one another. “All we know is that Soo-Won is alive. He could be moving under force and we’re over here arguing if he’s gone rogue or not.”

Hak stepped back, never taking his eyes off of Jae-Ha who seemed to not be remotely phased by any of this. To everyone else, he looked calm, but Kija knew that expression; Jae-Ha was pissed.

Kija quickly stepped in, tugging Jae-Ha away to cool his head.

“You knew saying that would upset him,” Kija hissed in his ear. “Stop inciting people.”

Jae-Ha jerked away from him. “You know i’m right. He was with the men, who just so happened to know who we were and when we were arriving, just two days ago and no one is going to question that?”

“It isn’t-”

“I fucking swear, if you say it isn’t my place to say anything I will knock you out," Jae-Ha growled. The threat wasn’t all that intimidating in comparison to his rant back in the conference room at the debriefing. It didn’t feel like he actually meant it so Kija merely sighed.

“I was only going to say it isn’t concrete enough. We still don’t know why his distress signal went off. But I’ll fix this, or we’ll never get anywhere.” Kija looked back to Hak who was pacing under Yona’s watchful eye. Zeno had scurried off to share the photos with Shin-Ah.

“I have a plan.” Kija took to the center of the room, calling everyone’s attention. “My job title means I’m really good at finding and catching people,” Jae-Ha snorted from across the room, “so I say we split and search the city. Soo-Won was last spotted here only two days ago. He might still be nearby.”

“So,” Yona said. “A good, old fashioned door-to-door style search?”

“We have nothing right now other than the knowledge he was here recently,” Kija clarified. “So we have to start with the basics and work our way up. Agreed?”

The room was silent, no one objected or spoke until Hak stepped forward. “Keep the same pairs that we flew over in?”

Kija paused a moment, unwilling to immediately agree. But then relented when he thought about Jae-Ha escaping all because he was too grumpy to deal with him. “Yeah, alright.”

They reviewed a city map Zeno had snagged from the airport and marked off the areas each group would search. Jae-Ha was more than pleased to be out of that stuffy room, and not even Kija’s pout could damper his spirits.

“Chin up, buttercup.” Jae-Ha smirked and tossed him an apple they had just bought at the outdoor market. “You came up with a good plan, pulled everyone out of their various moods.”

Kija took a bite out of the apple, grateful for something more than the tiny pretzels they’d had on the plane. They had been going from stall to stall, gently prodding people for information for about an hour. They asked simple things like, “We’re on vacation, any interesting things happening around here?” or “How’s the housing market? We might move here soon. What about the crime rate?” anything to subtly encourage people to talk about the state of affairs.

So far they’d gotten a few people to say there were some thugs that had been hanging around recently, something about an orphanage that burned, and only one person mentioned any human trafficking. But even they laughed it off like it was some kind of joke. They were about to move on to a different area when something caught Jae-Ha’s eye.

“Woah, hold it.” Jae-Ha stuck his arm out as Kija was about to round a corner. He caught him across the chest, preventing him from leaving the street market. “Look back down the alley we just passed.”

Kija shifted his stance, just barely enough to peek around the corner behind him. It was a dark alley, even worse now that the sun was nearly set. At the end of it were a couple of people looking to have an argument of some sort. But when Kija squinted, he realized it was no ordinary argument.

A man had ahold of a child around their arm. The kid looked to be maybe fifteen years old, and they were trying adamantly to get away. The man had a hand over the kid’s mouth so the only sound was the faint scuffling of feet as they fought.

Jae-Ha instantly tried to rush to his aid but Kija stopped him. “If we get involved we could blow our cover.”

“So we’re just supposed to let this piece of shit do whatever he wants to a little kid?!” Jae-Ha snarled under his breath.

Kija hesitated a moment, wanting to help the child as much as Jae-Ha did. But if the police got involved because they made a scene, then their whole mission could be jeopardized.

Just as he was about to force Jae-Ha to leave, the kid bit into the attacker’s hand and broke free. They watched in amazement as the child ran to the back of the alley and disappeared around the corner. The kid was running behind the buildings but the attacker was standing still, cursing at his injured hand.

Kija and Jae-Ha both looked at one another, then dashed down the alley after the kid. As they passed the man, Kija made sure to get a good look at his face. He couldn’t see much since he was running, but he did notice a large scar on his right cheek.

They left the injured attacker behind as they followed the kid. Kija wasn’t sure why they were getting involved like this but something about getting on Jae-Ha’s bad side didn’t sit right with him. The kid was still visible down the back alley, jumping over and dodging trash cans and other abandoned garbage, and thankfully Kija and Jae-Ha were both exceptionally fast.

In no time at all, they caught up to the kid, who seemed to be slowing down anyway. Kija swooped in and gripped the kid around the waist, holding him to his chest. But not without a fight, apparently.

“Let me go!” The kid yelled. “Help!”

Kija quickly covered the kid’s mouth only to receive the same treatment as the other man they’d left behind.

"Relax, we're— _I'm_ an agent from the Hiryuu Defense Agency!" Kija tried to reason with the kid but he was struggling too much to listen.

With a sharp wince, he quickly carried the belligerent child down another alley. Then he turned down another, all the while trying to go deeper into the back streets in case the scar-faced man decided to come looking for them. Jae-Ha followed quietly behind them until they reached a safe spot.

“Alright, alright,” Jae-Ha soothed. “We’re trying to help you, sweetie.”

The kid let out some muffled shouts, clearly angry about something. Kija lowered his bleeding hand, but did so cautiously in case the kid decided to scream again.

“Sweetie?!” He shouted. “I’m not some little girl! I’m a handsome young boy!”

“Oh, uh…” Jae-Ha mumbled. “Sorry, kid.”

“Would you mind unhanding me,” he snapped back at Kija. “If you really are here to help me, then.”

Kija released the kid, who promptly straightened his clothes and dusted himself off.

“Why was that man trying to harm you?” Kija cut straight to the chase.

“He was trying to take me back,” he replied simply.

“Back where? Why don’t want you to go?” Jae-Ha interjected.

“I’m trying to find Ik-Soo. He needs to know I’m alive, that we’re all alive.” The kid looked pleading, like he was trying to convince Jae-Ha and Kija to let him go.

“Woah, what?” Jae-Ha asked. “I didn’t understand any of that. I think you need to start at the beginning.”

Kija nodded in agreement.

“My name is Yun,” he said. “I’m an orphan, and I was raised by a man named Ik-Soo. Up until a month ago everything was great.”

“What happened a month ago?” Kija prompted.

Yun looked between them suspiciously for a moment, then took a steadying breath. “A man named Soo-Won burned my orphanage down and kidnapped my family.”

Jae-Ha’s eyes widened and Kija gasped in surprise. They looked to each other for a moment before Jae-Ha spoke.

“Holy shit."

 


	4. Chapter 4

Hak leaned forward in his seat to rest his elbows on his knees. He sent a glance to Yona who was tugging at a cuff of her dark blue blouse. She didn’t look up to meet his eyes. The story they had just heard, from the kid Jae-Ha and Kija had returned with, was almost too incredible to believe.

Soo-Won had been named a kidnapper. Not just any kidnapper either, but one who was shipping kids off into a trafficking ring and burning down orphanages along the way. It threw Hak for a loop and Yona still hadn’t made a single response.

“You’re sure it was this man?” Hak slid the photo of Soo-Won across the table to Yun for the third time that evening.

“Do you have some kind of memory problem?” Yun snapped. “For the last time, Soo-Won burned my home and lead the raid to kidnap my siblings! I thought you people were gonna help but you look like you don’t even believe me.”

“No, Yun.” Kija interjected. “We believe you, but there are reasons we don’t want to.”

“Well, sorry for whatever problems you guys are having,” Yun replied with a bite of sarcasm, “but my family has been trapped in a shipping container on the coast for the past month and the longer we sit here chatting the closer they get to a boat with a one way ticket to _who the hell knows where!_ ”

Yun stood from his seat and marched towards the door. The intention to leave was written clear as day across his face.

“What do you think you can do on your own?” Jae-Ha called from where he sat on the windowsill. “You’re not strong enough to save them. Soo-Won is probably waiting for you to come scurrying back to try and free them. All that will happen is you’ll be caught again, right back where you started.”

“It’s better than nothing!” Yun shouted. “I’d rather be with them and suffer than be out here and free!”

Jae-Ha twitched irritably. “Freedom shouldn’t be wasted so easily.”

Hak stood from the table and Yona finally looked up at him, her eyes bright and fierce. Shin-Ah and Zeno had been deathly quiet throughout the whole ordeal since they didn’t know Soo-Won enough to have a say in the matter at hand. Hak passed them on the bed and stalked towards Yun.

Yun took a step back, fearing the intense gaze in Hak’s eyes. “W-what are you doing?” Yun stammered.

Hak walked right past him and stopped at the door. “I’ll prove it wasn’t Soo-Won.”

“How?” Yona asked, voice barely loud enough for him to hear.

“I’ll find him then beat the truth out of him.” Hak threw the door open then stormed out. The room was silent for a moment. No one knew what to do since their leader had just left on his own.

Yona fidgeted nervously, looking to each of her team members, before snatching up her pistol and running to the door.

“I’ll follow him,” she said. “I have a radio so make sure you guys keep yours on. Go with Yun to find his family, meet back at 0200. And don’t be reckless.”

She dashed out the door, leaving behind her stunned team. They hadn’t had time to formulate any sort of plan and things were already going to shit. Their rescue mission was probably turning into an extermination mission, but their own leader was refusing to see the facts.

“Do you know this Soo-Won guy?” Yun asked after a beat of silence.

“No,” Kija replied, looking to the door Yona and Hak had just fled through. “But they do.”

“Snowflake,” Jae-Ha said. “You and I should follow Yun to the shipping container, but we’ll need someone to stay behind to man the radio.”

“We’ll do that!” Zeno called then slung his arm around Shin-Ah’s shoulders. “I’m not too good in the field and it’s not like we need a long-range sharpshooter to locate the kids. That sounds more like hand-to-hand combat if anything, don’t you think Shin-Ah?”

Shin-ah nodded and nearly dropped the cell phone clutched in his hands when Zeno squeezed him tighter. A little toy squirrel dangled helplessly from the device as Shin-ah was jostled around.

“He’s too cheery,” Yun complained once they were out of the hotel. “Are you sure he’s an agent?”

“Probably.” Jae-Ha shrugged. Yun looked unconvinced.

“Zeno is the head of the Technology and Science Division,” Kija said with a hint of pride. “I assure you he’s highly qualified.”

Jae-Ha rolled his eyes and prodded Yun to walk faster. Under the cover of night, the trio was to locate and ascertain the situation of Yun’s family. Kija and Jae-Ha were being led through the city since Yun was the only one who knew where this shipping container was located.

“It’s just up ahead,” Yun whispered. “Around that last building there’s a row of containers. They’re in the one farthest to the right.”

The smell of the ocean hit Kija as he and Jae-Ha neared the building Yun had pointed out. They left him behind since there was always the possibility of danger. Kija drew his gun from it’s holster, silently yet quickly. Jae-Ha had opted for a small blade but Kija was sure he’d seen his garrote wire twisted around his still bandaged palm.

They moved effortlessly around the corner and came into view of the row of containers. From their vantage point neither could see any posted guards or sign of life at all. The light of the moon was reflecting off of the lazy ocean waves that splashed against the shore nearby. But other than that, no light or noise was present.

Kija looked to Jae-Ha, who motioned for him to lead. Kija nodded, then not having planned any sort of signs yet, simply grabbed Jae-Ha’s sleeve to tug him behind one of the containers so they were out of view of the main aisle.

“Now’s not the time for a midnight rendezvous, dear.” Jae-Ha chuckled under his breath.

“I’m convinced you just like to hear yourself talk.” Kija huffed. “But I wanted to be more hidden to devise a plan since we can’t see any guards.”

“Are we rescuing them?” Jae-Ha perked up.

Kija sighed then peaked around the corner to view the target container one more time. “There’s definitely no Soo-Won here, and one of those kids might know where he went to so, yeah. We’re gonna rescue the kids.”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you, Snowflake.” Jae-Ha smiled and Kija was surprised that there was no flirtatious jeer added to the statement.

“R-right,” Kija stammered in his embarrassment. He didn’t handle compliments well. “We’ll go at it from the front since I’m sure it’s only got one door. Ready?”

“After you.” Jae-Ha motioned for Kija to lead once again.

They quickly made their way from container to container until they could safely stand in front of the last one on the right. It was completely quiet inside and there was no padlock on the door. Kija stared at it curiously for a moment before checking their surroundings one last time. Jae-Ha had a dark look on his face.

Jae-Ha unlatched then pulled the door open on Kija’s signal. He barely left enough room for a person to enter or leave since the metal door probably would groan terribly if they moved it too much. A path of moonlight fell into the container but it was still too dark to see anything. Kija pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and shone the light into the back of the container.

It was empty. Not even a single sign remained that there had ever been any children there. Jae-Ha shut the door, a little more forcefully than necessary, then scanned the rest of the yard. There were dozens of other containers here but none had locks or posted guards, anything that would signal someone was being held captive inside.

“We need to leave,” Kija whispered. “It would take all night to search them all and we need to get away from this location as quickly as possible.”

Jae-Ha clenched the fist wrapped in wire, aggravating his wound, then nodded his head. “Fine, let’s go.”

But before they could, a noise caught their attention. The sound of voices rose up from the other side of the shipping yard and was steadily getting closer. At the last second, Jae-Ha shoved Kija into the container they’d just looked in and carefully shut the door.

“Kai, huh?” A distinctly male voice asked when he stopped just outside of where they were hiding.

“Yeah,” another man laughed. “Can you believe it? One million for the whole lot!”

Kija scrunched his brow, trying to make sense of what they were saying. Just to his left he could feel Jae-Ha pressing against his side, shoulders tense and breathing shallow.

“That’s the biggest deal we’ve seen in years,” the first man said. “The industry just doesn’t pay anymore.”

“But we’ve got Soo-Won now!” The second man proclaimed. “That man is gonna make us rich.”

Kija fought to not react. These men were traffickers and they were discussing a recent deal. By the sound of it, a group that had been sold to the neighboring country of Kai. Before Kija could protest, Jae-Ha threw open the door to the container.

The two men instantly froze, clearly shocked that they weren’t alone. Kija reached for Jae-Ha, trying in vain to stop him before he ruined everything.

“You were saying,” Jae-Ha coaxed. His face must’ve been terrifying since the two men had looks of the utmost horror on their faces. “Where is Soo-Won?”

Kija sighed and when neither man responded and just gaped like a couple of fish, he drew his gun. The traffickers finally reacted and took a step back, eyeing Kija in fear.

“Apparently we are doing this the hard way, so you might as well just answer him and get it over with.” Kija aimed his weapon at them as Jae-Ha slowly began to advance.

“We don’t know!” The one with dark hair answered, and by his voice Kija could tell he was the first man who had spoken earlier. He put his hands up in defeat. “He goes back to Kum-Ji after every deal. That’s all I know!”

The other man, who had short auburn hair, nodded in agreement. “Please don’t kill us! We just follow orders!”

Jae-Ha growled low in his throat, then grabbed the lighter haired man by his collar, hauling him forward. Kija trained the gun on the darker haired man to convince him to stay rather than run.

“Where are the kids?!” Jae-Ha hissed, pointing to the empty container behind him.

“Kai!” The man squeaked. “Soo-Won sold them to Kai!”

Jae-Ha gripped the man tighter then threw him into the storage container. He landed with a loud clang and didn’t try to get back up again.

“Please don’t leave us in there!” The other shouted. “No one will find us for weeks!”

Jae-Ha didn’t pay him a second glance before he shoved the other trafficker into the container as well. The man fought back, kicking and scratching at Jae-Ha. He clearly was some lackie with no training but he still left some nasty scratches down Jae-Ha’s face.

With a grunt, Jae-Ha threw him in then slammed the door. He slid the latch back into place, locking the shouting man inside.

Kija was unable to move or respond for a moment, having been completely floored by Jae-Ha’s behavior. It seemed he genuinely hated these traffickers and the loss of the kids was like a personal offense to him.

“They’ll die in there,” Kija said after Jae-Ha had caught his breath.

“Do you think they gave that kind of thought to those kids?” Jae-Ha countered.

Kija wanted to bite back that he was acting strangely for an assassin but instead held his tongue. He didn’t know a thing about Jae-Ha or what being an assassin truly meant, and his lack of knowledge was bothering him more and more as time went on.

Yun was completely devastated to discover his siblings were gone. But once Kija said they’d been sold to Kai, his enthusiasm reignited.

“Then there’s still hope.” Yun wiped his tear-filled face on his sleeve. “We can still find them.”

“Listen, Yun--” Kija tried to say that their mission wouldn’t allow them to but Jae-Ha gave him a dark look.

“Let’s meet back up with everyone before we make any decisions,” Kija continued. They agreed that was the best idea all night.

**\---**

When they arrived back they found Hak and Yona had returned, and to no one’s surprise, without Soo-Won. Hak was strangely subdued and it made Kija wonder what exactly had happened after he and Yona ran off. Yun explained how his family was gone and the others all thought this was a terrible thing and agreed Yun should stay with them until they found Soo-Won, since he could find the missing kids.

“Do I need to tell you how incredibly stupid it was that you confronted the traffickers?” Kija whispered as he joined Jae-Ha on the large windowsill. The rest of the group were in deep conversation with Yun who was telling stories about his time in the orphanage.

“Well, you just did.” Jae-Ha replied while still gazing out at the ocean.

Kija rolled his eyes then suddenly remembered something Jae-Ha had said. _‘I knew there was a reason I liked you, Snowflake’_ rang clear as a bell in his head. Kija wasn’t quite sure why it had resonated so much with him but he was itching to understand what it meant.

“Jae-Ha,” Kija called to him. Jae-Ha finally tore his gaze away from the window to look at Kija in curiousity.

“Uh-oh, I know that tone.” Jae-Ha smirked. “Am I in trouble?”

“What?” Kija asked, slightly annoyed. “No. Stop being impossible!”

Jae-Ha laughed tiredly. “Sorry, sorry. Go on.”

Kija shook his head in disapproval before continuing. “You said something earlier, and I wanted to ask about it.”

“Now I know something’s up if you’re asking me permission to say something.” Jae-Ha leaned forward slightly, forcing Kija to meet his eyes.

“Nevermind,” Kija sighed. He stood to leave but Jae-Ha caught his arm.

“You can ask me anything,” Jae-Ha reassured him. “I promise not to be an ass.”

Kija couldn’t help the small laugh that bubbled out of his throat. It was true he thought Jae-Ha could be a complete asshole sometimes but it was just so amusing to hear him admit it.

Jae-Ha smiled before tugging Kija back down onto the windowsill. “I’m glad me being an ass is funny to you,” he sighed.

They sat in silence for a moment, and when Jae-Ha turned his head to look at the others, Kija saw the bright red scratches down his cheek. They didn’t look bad but one had broken the skin a little. Something twisted terribly in Kija’s gut.

“I guess I don’t really need to ask anymore.” Kija shrugged.

“Oh?” Jae-Ha asked. “Try me.”

“Well,” Kija shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Earlier you said something and it wasn’t stupid and annoying like usual so I was confused because I was fairly sure you just wanted to make my life miserable and it’s not like I could blame you for that considering the circumstances and all but I definitely wouldn’t expect you to be civil with me let alone actually be okay with me enough to say something like that and I mean, after the debriefing when you yelled I thought for sure then that--”

“Whoa, whoa there Snowflake.” Jae-Ha said exasperatedly. He held up his hands in surrender, trying to signal Kija to stop talking for a second. Kija took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Now,” Jae-Ha continued. “Break it down for me. What are you trying to ask?”

“Did you mean what you said?” Kija asked, nearly tripping over his own words in his haste to get them out. “ _I knew there was a reason I liked you?_ ”

Jae-Ha blinked for a moment, completely shocked. “That’s what you wanted to ask?”

“Yes,” Kija snapped defensively. “What else would it have been?”

“I thought it was going to be about my past or something more serious,” Jae-Ha admitted.

“This is serious!” Kija yelled. For a moment he blushed because the others paused their conversation with Yun to send them a confused glance before going back to ignoring them.

“Okay, okay,” Jae-Ha chuckled. “You’re right, it's very serious.”

“Then answer me before I decide to go back to giving you the cold shoulder all the time.” Kija folded his arms over his chest, scooting back to remove Jae-Ha from his space.

“I was telling the truth.” Jae-Ha grinned. “Why would I not like you?”

“Busting your head open, breaking your arm, imprisonment, the chains,” Kija began to tick off the items on his fingers as he spoke. “Shall I continue?”

“You’re the head of the Criminal Analysis Department and I am an ex-assassin.” Jae-Ha said. “We have roles and it would be wrong of me to fault you for following yours.”

Kija’s eyes widened momentarily. “That’s surprisingly civil of you.”

Jae-Ha leaned back against the window pane, a pained smile on his face. “I can excuse your actions as an HDA agent but I also get the feeling you don’t expect much from me. Yet you want to know if I like you. _That_ is incredibly selfish.”

Kija opened his mouth to make a retort but Jae-Ha stood up and that was when he realized what he had said. He had been harboring a prejudice against Jae-Ha from the moment he’d first heard his name over five years ago. He didn’t expect anything from him and the need to have his approval was just another method Kija was using to prove he was worth more. It _was_ incredibly selfish and Kija nearly hung his head in shame. He hadn’t thought he was that kind of person.

Jae-Ha walked away before Kija could think of anything to say, then sat down with the others to listen to Yun. He didn’t say another word to Kija for the rest of the night.

\---

“You can be mama bird!” Jae-Ha suggested after Yun had put medicine on the scratches down his cheek.

“I’m not a spy!” Yun cried. “Stop trying to give me a code name!”

“But that fits you so well,” Hak snickered. “You cook, clean, sew, and now even heal wounds. You’re a mama bird.”

Yun turned his nose up at them, ignoring the laughs from Hak and Jae-Ha.

“I had to learn all of those thing to take care of my siblings who…” Yun trailed off when he thought about his missing family.

“Yona and Shin-Ah will be back soon from gathering info.” Hak tried to reassure him. “I’m sure they’ll have some good intel.”

Yun smiled gently at him and nodded.

“Don’t let it get you down, kid!” Zeno snuck up from behind him and threw his arms around his shoulders. “Finding your family falls in line with finding Soo-Won, so now we will work extra hard to find them!”

Yun looked mildly disgruntled at being touched by another person, but still tried to appreciate Zeno’s sentiments none the less. “Thanks, Zeno.”

Yona and Shin-Ah had been tasked with finding out anything they could about Soo-Won. He’d been in the town and now he was gone. Someone had to have seen him or know something. After several hours they returned with a small lead.

“These two buildings were pointed out by a civilian as places Soo-Won frequents.” Yona pointed out two spots on the small map of Awa. The areas were both on the opposite side of Port City. Not that the town was especially large, but it would be hard to move all seven of them without being noticed.

“You sure the info was good?” Hak questioned her.

Yona gave him a disdainful look. “He was the son of Soo-Jin, one of Kum-Ji’s higher ranked men. Poor guy was looking for a way to make his father pay for his crimes.”

“It would be foolish to believe him,” Kija piped up. “We don’t know anything about him.”

“Kija is the resident expert on making assumptions about people,” Jae-Ha replied bitterly. “But he’s right in this case. It could be a trap.”

Kija instantly retreated into himself. Jae-Ha hadn’t used his name like that since back at the debriefing. Why this bothered him so much, he wasn’t sure. But he knew Jae-Ha was still upset about their conversation from the night before.

“That’s why I suggested a stakeout,” a quiet voice said.

Everyone stopped to turn to Shin-Ah who had spoken for the first time since they’d arrived in Awa. He shied away instantly, and if it wasn’t for Yona smiling gently at him, he probably would’ve turned and ran.

“Um,” he continued. “We should watch both buildings for one night to see if Soo-Won goes there.”

“Exactly,” Yona finished for him. “We can watch from a safe distance to determine if the locations are a hit or a miss.”

“Alright, I agree.” Hak had been contemplating the map but now was folding it back up. “I’ll man the radio here with Yun. Hiryuu, Ouryuu, and Seiryuu will be at the location on 6th Street. Hakuryuu take your pet to Aimes Street and watch that building.”

Jae-Ha stepped forward, clearly pissed, but then a hand shot out to block his path. Kija was holding him back which made Hak chuckle.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing,” Kija said darkly. “I don’t control Jae-Ha. I’m merely protecting you from the ass kicking you deserve.”

Jae-Ha snorted then quickly tried to cover it up with a series of coughs. Hak looked stunned that Kija had stood up for Jae-Ha, or had said anything in retaliation at all. Kija lowered his arm and was then grateful that the tense atmosphere had dissipated.

“Whatever,” Hak sighed. “Just meet back here at 0200.”

\---

Their stakeout location turned out to be a cramped space on the opposing rooftop to the target building. Kija was stuck with Jae-Ha, who seemed to still be a tad upset, for 12 hours in a broom closet. Technically it was a large ventilation box, but it hadn't been used in years. It was filthy and full of cobwebs and something smelled like it had chosen the place to crawl into and die.

They’d been there all afternoon, the sun practically cooking them in the metal box. But then night finally arrived and the drastic drop in temperature made Kija continuously shiver. Whether or not Jae-Ha slowly sliding closer to him was his way of providing warmth, Kija wasn’t sure. But he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if that mouth did nothing but annoy him.

Kija shifted uncomfortably on his stomach. Jae-Ha was significantly larger than him in both shoulder width and overall height, and lying next to him in the box was incredibly difficult. 

"Don't wiggle so much." Jae-Ha pulled the binoculars away from his face to squint at Kija in the darkness. The white haired man scoffed and shifted again for good measure. Jae-Ha ignored him and swept away a dead bug. A chill ran up Kija’s spine.

"A-are there...are there bugs in here?" He stammered.

Jae-Ha, who had resumed his watch through the night-vision binoculars, hummed thoughtfully. "Most likely. Those cobwebs over our heads didn't form themselves."  
  
Kija squeaked. It was so sudden and shrill that Jae-Ha tensed and nearly dropped the binoculars. The squeal reverberated off the metal walls around them and played back, much to Kija's embarrassment, for a few more seconds before quiet fell again.   
  
"What? What's wrong?" Jae-Ha turned as much as he could to face his teammate. He peered into the dark, trying to see the body next to him, checking for signs of injury.   
  
"T-t-there was a bug!" Kija exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "On my hand!"  
  
Jae-Ha froze, completely at a loss as to what to say to that. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Yes!" Kija shivered. "It just crawled right over my fingers!"  
  
Kija was shriveling in on himself, trying to keep all exposed parts of his body covered by his thin, black top and pants. Jae-Ha stared in awe a moment longer before his composure cracked into a fit of quiet laughter.   
  
"It's not funny!" Kija huffed. "Bugs are gross and they make my skin crawl."  
  
Jae-Ha was a goner, he couldn't keep a straight face now that he knew the only man who had managed to capture him was afraid of bugs. He giggled mindlessly into his palm, trying to remain as quiet as possible since they were still on a stakeout.   
  
"I'm sorry, Snowflake." Jae-Ha breathed a sigh of relief as his laughter finally died down. "It's just that you looked so cute."  
  
"I'm not cute!" Kija growled despite the rising blush on his cheeks. But he was a little glad to hear Jae-Ha call him “Snowflake” again. He didn’t seem as mad anymore. Not that he cared, or so he told himself.  
  
"Oh?" Jae-Ha teased, pulling back his arm to run a finger over the other's cheek. "I beg to differ."  
  
Kija swallowed hard. He was sure Jae-Ha could hear the sudden kick start of his heart in the quiet space between them. Hell, he was close enough he might even feel it. The moment only lasted a second before it was over.  
  
Jae-Ha had the binoculars back to his face, peering through them into the night. Kija blinked, not sure what had just happened. The fact that he was unable to make a retort to Jae-Ha’s terrible flirting was what unsettled him the most.  
  
"There's movement at the back exit." Jae-Ha said, his playful tone was no longer there. He was in serious mode.   
  
"How many?" Kija rolled his weight to one side, fishing the small radio from his pocket.   
  
"Three. No, wait..." Jae-Ha adjusted the binoculars, zooming in slightly. "There's a fourth one. Where's the picture of Pretty Boy?"  
  
"Huh?" Kija questioned, looking up from where he had been trying to fight the static in the radio.   
  
"Soo-Won, his picture." Jae-Ha clarified, albeit a bit agitated.   
  
Kija reached back into a pouch on his belt and handed the crumpled photo over. Jae-Ha held it out in the light the best he could before looking back through the binoculars.   
  
"Aha! Got you Pretty Boy." Jae-Ha chuckled darkly and Kija immediately got the radio on.   
  
"Raiju. Come in Raiju. This is Hakuryuu." Kija called over the radio. Almost immediately there was a response.  
  
"This is Raiju." The familiar voice of Hak came through the static.   
  
"The Eagle is flying." Kija had picked up on the code quickly enough. Jae-Ha had to go over it with him multiple times on the way to the stakeout but it seemed to be paying off.  
  
"Understood." Hak said. "Hold position. Rendezvous at 0200 hours. Over."  
  
"Roger. Over." Kija clicked off the radio to silence the static.   
  
"He got into a car, just the four guys," Jae-Ha said when Kija looked his way. "They turned and headed north on Aimes Street. I lost visual due to the buildings."   
  
"Did it look willingly?" Kija asked, anger seeping into his tone.   
  
"Pretty Boy was driving so I'd assume so." Jae-Ha shrugged.   
  
Kija sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You got pictures?"  
  
"Mm," Jae-Ha affirmed. "Of all of their ugly faces, I sure did."   
  
Kija nodded even though it was too dark to tell. "We'll upload them on Zeno's computer when we meet up. Then we can compare the photos we have to see if we get any hits."  
  
"Aye aye, Captain!" Jae-Ha mock saluted the best he could in the cramped space. "It's currently just after midnight, so we have some time to kill before we move. Wanna play a game?"  
  
Kija stiffened, afraid to ask what kind of games Jae-Ha liked. He'd played plenty of tricks on him by this point and testing the waters further was not sitting well with him. Kija glanced at him with a suspicious gaze, but Jae-Ha was smiling back innocently. He still hadn't forgotten his fake flirting from earlier.  
  
"With you?" Kija asked. "No thanks."  
  
"Ouch." Jae-Ha said, feigning offense. "You wound me, Buttercup."   
  
"I'm sure," Kija replied sarcastically. "Just be quiet until it's time to go."  
  
"If you say so." Jae-Ha shrugged then turned his attention to his nails like they were the most interesting thing in the world.   
  
Kija closed his eyes, letting his head fall forward onto his folded arms. The night was calm on this side of Port City. There was no ocean breeze or outdoor market full of people. It was eerie and the only people out and about all looked like they were up to no good.  
  
Things were lifeless. Hardly anyone moved around at night, and during the day people mostly kept to themselves and avoided spending too long outdoors. It was like they were all afraid of something. If Kija had to guess, Kum-Ji and his men had a much stronger influence in this small country than they previously thought. They needed to get to the bottom of this Soo-Won mystery fast and move on to taking Kum-Ji down.   
  
"Hey, Snowflake." There was a voice, but to Kija it was very distant and he couldn't bother opening his eyes to respond.   
  
"Wakey wakey, Sleeping Beauty." The voice was in his ear, breathing hot breath over his skin. A gentle prod to his exposed ribs finally jostled him awake.   
  
Kija sat up with a start, banging his head on the roof of the ventilation box. He cursed under his breath as he blinked to rid the sleep from his eyes. Jae-Ha waved from his position outside the box.   
  
"What time is it?" Kija reluctantly took the offered hand as he crawled out to the open rooftop.   
  
"One thirty. Time to meet up, yeah?" Jae-Ha pulled a cobweb from Kija's hair and laughed when he swatted his hand away.   
  
"I fell asleep?" He grumbled. "Why didn't you wake me?"  
  
Jae-Ha merely shrugged. "Your snoring was cute. Besides, you looked like you needed the rest."  
  
"I do not snore," Kija argued.   
  
"How would you know?"  
  
"Because I don't trust you."  
  
"Mm, yet you fell asleep next to me." Jae-Ha smiled knowingly. "Okay, dear."  
  
"Whatever." Kija picked up their bag of supplies, flinging it over his shoulder. "Let's just go."  
  
"After you." Jae-Ha bowed and motioned for him to lead. 

Exactly as two rolled around, the group gathered on Yona's bed in their small motel room. Save for Yun who was on the floor mending a hole in a pair of Shin-Ah's pants. How that had gotten there was anybody’s guess. The others had had very uneventful stakeouts and Hak had been bored out of his mind since he was stuck in the motel manning the radio with Yun. Zeno, Shin-Ah, and Yona had all been at a separate yet likely location for their target but obviously that had been a dud. 

"Do you have the chip from the binoculars?" Zeno asked when Jae-Ha and Kija had come back. 

Jae-Ha passed the small chip to him. It only took a few minutes for Zeno to find the facial matches once he got his laptop up and running.

“Mm, yep.” He said, then pushed his thick blonde hair back with a headband. “That’s Kye-Sook with Soo-Won. The other two I found in bingo books from the Kai Military Police.”

“Kye-Sook? You mean Kum-Ji’s right hand man?” Yona asked.

Zeno hummed in acknowledgment, eyes still trained on the computer screen. “The building was most likely an exchange point for their deals. They probably were wrapping up the Kai deal--sorry, Yun--so this can be considered an abandoned location. They won’t be back.”

“So we’ve lost the trail?” Hak sighed.

“Not quite,” Yun corrected him. “I think I know someone who can help.”

“Who?” Hak asked, sounding hopeful.

“We need to find Ik-Soo.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Where the fuck do we find Ik-Soo?” Hak groaned for the fourth time that evening.

Yun rolled his eyes. “I told you to check the beach by the orphanage!”

“And I told you that we’ve already done that.” Hak flopped over onto Yona, making her whine under his weight.

“Hak, you’re too heavy!” She called from where she sat smothered on the floor.

The previous two nights were still fresh in everyone’s minds. Jae-Ha and Kija had failed to find Yun’s family, and with Soo-Won looking more and more suspicious as time went on, they were at a loss as to what to do next. That is, until Yun suggested they find the man who had owned the burned down orphanage. Whether or not this idea would be fruitful was anyone’s guess, but they were out of any other options. Ik-Soo frequented the beaches, but ever since Yun had escaped from the traffickers, he hadn’t had the chance to search for him.

“We might as well search one last time,” Kija huffed as he grabbed Hak and hauled him off of Yona. Hak gave him a dangerous glare which Kija ignored. “What other choice do we have?”

“Snowflake is right,” Jae-Ha said. He blew Kija a kiss when he looked his way. Kija looked completely horrified. “We don’t know where Kum-Ji is hiding,” he continued. “So the only other survivor from the orphanage in the area is this Ik-Soo guy.”

Yona was adjusting her top, since Hak had completely wrinkled her clothes, when she turned to address her team. “To the beach?”

“Yay!” Zeno jumped up from the floor where he’d been typing away on his laptop. “To the beach!”

\---

“Shin-Ah,” Jae-Ha whined. He threw an arm over the blue haired man’s shoulders. He barely flinched at the contact, much to Jae-Ha’s surprise. “You’re missing the beautiful waves with all that texting you’re doing.”

Jae-Ha leaned further onto him to get a better look at who had completely stolen Shin-Ah’s attention. Shin-Ah quickly held his phone far out of Jae-Ha’s reach and gave him a serious pout.

“Oh, c’mon!” Jae-Ha pretended to be hurt but was doing a poor acting job with a huge grin on his face. He reached for the cellphone but Shin-Ah placed his hand on his face to hold him back.

“Don’t be like that!” Jae-Ha’s shout was muffled by Shin-Ah’s palm but it still didn’t go unnoticed.

Kija, who had been walking at the front of the group, swiftly turned around. “Don’t bother other people, Jae-Ha.”

“Jealous?” Jae-Ha, still slung over Shin-Ah’s shoulders, winked at Kija.

“You wish,” Kija growled. But his ears burned red as he turned back to walking down the beach.

Hak and Yona had decided it would be safe for them all to go searching the beach. It was crowded and full of people on vacation, so their group of seven wouldn’t look suspicious at all. They had been combing the beach for over an hour and with the hot sun beating down on their backs and the sand sticking to their sweaty skin, they were all a tad irritable.

“Is he really your dad?” Jae-Ha prodded Shin-Ah once Kija had turned away. From what Jae-Ha had seen on Shin-Ah’s phone, he’d been texting someone he’d saved as “Dad”. From there it was only a matter of guesswork as to who the person was, which wasn’t a hard thing to figure out.

Shin-Ah blinked up at him then slowly shook his head. “But he’s all I’ve got.”

“Then he’s your dad.” Jae-Ha laughed quietly under his breath, smiling more to himself than Shin-Ah.

“Ah…” Shin-Ah gently smiled and handed Jae-Ha his phone.

“Oh, you don’t have to show me your texts.” Jae-Ha said. “I was only joking around.”

“My screensaver,” was all Shin-Ah said before he forced the device into Jae-Ha’s still bandaged hands.

Jae-Ha raised a brow to him as they trudged through the hot sand. He pressed the lock button to light up the phone and then almost snorted. But one glance of the hopeful look on Shin-Ah’s face silenced him. His screensaver was a candid photo of a very disgruntled looking Ao in a frilly yellow apron. He seemed to be fighting with a bowl of cake mix, armed only with a sour pout and a whisk.

“Um…” Jae-Ha chuckled nervously. “He’s got a bit of egg in his hair.”

“He’s a messy cook.” Shin-Ah shrugged. He took back his phone and tucked it into his pocket.

Jae-Ha fretted for a moment on how he was to respond to such obvious doting, but then he was saved by an exclamation from Yun.

“There’s someone at the orphanage!” Yun pointed at the debris just a little further up the beach from them. He took off towards it without warning.

“Wait!” Hak called to him. When Yun didn’t stop, he took off after him.

Hak easily caught up to him then grabbed a hold of Yun’s arm to stop him.

“What are you doing?!” Yun shouted as he struggled. “It could be Ik-Soo!”

“It could also be a trafficker!” Hak growled, fighting to hold Yun still.

“Hak, you’re making a scene!” Yona had dashed to their side, sending nervous glances to the passerby who were eyeing them curiously.

He let Yun go and told him to remain still while he checked out the person digging in the rubble. The person was still too far away to make out clearly, so it was impossible to tell who it was.

Jae-Ha stopped at Kija’s side, waiting with the rest of the team while Hak walked off. Kija was pretending like Jae-Ha wasn’t there.

“For someone who wants my approval, you sure do pretend to be distant a lot.” Jae-Ha remarked like he was talking about the weather.

“I do not want your approval!” Kija snapped.

“Right.” Jae-Ha deadpanned. “So about what you said the other night... I thought we were passed ignoring one another.”

“Okay, okay!” Kija shushed him so the others wouldn’t hear. “What do you want me to say? That I value your opinion and I’m sorry for snapping at you all the time?”

Jae-Ha was about to reply with something witty and sarcastic but then he realized exactly what Kija had said. He looked down to meet fiery blue eyes and then got lost. There was nothing he wanted to say to Kija in that moment that could explain what he was feeling. Of course, there were suddenly a thousand and one things going through his mind that wanted to be said but not a single one made any sense to him. Nothing he thought made sense other than,

“You’re beautiful.”

Kija faltered only for a moment, but then retreated back into himself. “Figures all you want to do is mock me. I take back my apology then.”

Jae-Ha shook his head as if that physical movement would clear his mind. “Mock you?”

“Yes,” Kija huffed. “You say things like that to do your own form of distancing don’t you?”

Jae-Ha had honestly never thought about that before. It was true, he enjoyed pestering Kija and watching him flail helplessly when he picked on him, but distancing? Had he been pushing Kija away? He really wasn’t sure.

“Ah, yes,” Jae-Ha laughed. “I just enjoy messing with you… that’s all.”

Kija sighed, almost sounding a tad disappointed. “Just like I thought.”

Hak was walking back up the beach then, so thankfully Jae-Ha had an excuse to step away from Kija. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest from that close call, he was afraid Kija would hear it.

“Who was it?” Yun was the first at Hak’s side upon his return. “Was it Ik-Soo?”

“I’m not sure…” Hak scrunched his brow then unfolded a piece of paper in his hand. “He wouldn’t tell me who he was, but he gave me this.”

The team gathered around Hak to read the tiny scrawl on the paper.

It read: _Pier 7 8:00_

“He said to go here to find what we want.” Hak looked entirely befuddled. He looked back over his shoulder but there was no longer a person digging in the rubble.

And so they waited.

\---

The beach at night was a lot different than during the day. It was cold and dreary, like all the life had been sucked out of it by the numerous children that ran up and down it’s shore. No one was out enjoying the sand now, and in fact most of the town seemed to have closed up for the night.

“Pier 7 is a mile past the orphanage.” Yun explained as they walked. Because they were under the cover of night, the whole group had set out together again. The beach was deserted so it was the perfect place for them to move freely.

“Why that pier?” Yona wondered aloud, then she turned to Yun. “What’s around that area?

“There’s a lot of old homes there,” Yun replied. “But it’s where Ik-Soo and I used to take the kids to swim since there are a few low tide pools.”

“So it has significance to Ik-Soo?” Hak asked.

Yun nodded, lip caught between his teeth.

The rest of the walk was in strained quiet. It was clear that Yun was hoping they would find Ik-Soo there and no one else had the heart to suggest otherwise.

Just before eight in the evening, they arrived at a rocky section of beach. The tide was definitely lower here and the rocks formed small pools that a child could play in. From the light of the moon, a dilapidated pier was just visible past the rocks.

Yun led the way, clambering over the slick rocks, showing the best places for hand holds. Their surfaces had been smoothed down from years of sea water crashing into them, which made them a dangerous thing to try and climb.They weren’t very tall but a wrong step could make for a painful fall.

Kija, being as athletic as he was, had no problem crawling over and around the rocks. Jae-Ha was ahead of him, and normally this wouldn’t be a difficult thing for him to accomplish either. But his hands were still bandaged and he _had_ been sitting around for five years.

A small gasp was all the warning Kija got before a body was crashing back into him. Instinctively, Kija braced himself on the rock at his back and grasped Jae-Ha around the waist. He pulled him into his chest to stay balanced then braced their weight on the rocks.

Jae-Ha’s face was centimeters from Kija’s. His feet found purchase in the sand where they stood and for a moment both were too shocked to move. Kija still had a firm hold on Jae-Ha’s waist so it wasn’t like he could pull away, not out of that iron grip.

“Are you alright?” Kija asked. His blue eyes were wide and unblinking.

“Yes,” Jae-Ha whispered back. He could feel Kija’s breath on his face. He was too close. After the close call earlier that day, this was not an ideal situation for him.

“We’ll get you your own room so you two can do whatever the fuck you want _later_ ,” Hak laughed from the top of the rock Jae-Ha had fallen off of. “So can we get a move on?”

Kija instantly threw Jae-Ha against the rock. “Wha--No, I don’t--We’re not!”

“Hak is just mad I’m getting more action than him.” Jae-Ha rested a hand on Kija’s shoulder to calm him.

Kija shook him off then quickly scaled the rock. Hak had moved on with a sour look on his face. When Kija got to the top he begrudgingly leaned back over the side to offer a hand to Jae-Ha.

Jae-Ha took it with a mischievous grin on his face. “No rebuttal on our sex life?”

Kija gave him a dark look and pulled him closer by the hand he held. “I will drop you.”

“Please don’t.” Jae-Ha frowned, not looking forward to knowing what actually falling on a rock felt like.

When Jae-Ha finally was pulled (rather harshly, he thought) over the rock, the rest of the group had found the pier.

“Well, it’s eight.” Hak sighed as he looked around in the darkness. “What are we waiting for?”

“Me, perhaps?” A voice called from the shadow of the old pier.

Hak jumped then turned, gun already drawn. He was about to command the person to show himself when Yun ran in front of Hak.

“Wait!” He cried, hands in the air. “Don’t shoot! I know that voice.”

“Yun?” The voice asked. Slowly, a person with wavy blonde hair stepped out into the moonlight. “Yun… it’s really you.”

“Ik-Soo!” Yun turned and ran straight for him, leaping into his arms. “You’re alive!”

“I thought,” Ik-Soo said in a hushed whisper. “I thought I would never see you again.”

Yun buried his face into Ik-Soo’s chest as he cried. Then Ik-Soo knelt down to his level, cupping his reddened cheeks in his hands.

“There, there,” Ik-Soo soothed. He wiped away Yun’s tears with his thumb. “I heard someone was looking for me but I never thought… I should’ve known though. Of course you would find me!”

“They’re all gone, Ik-Soo,” Yun sobbed. “To Kai! Sei, Dana, Tai-Cheng, Ami… all of them!”

“I know,“ Ik-Soo said sadly. It was at that moment that he looked up to finally acknowledge the others. They had all been quiet, knowing this moment between Yun and Ik-Soo was private.

“Are you the ones?” Ik-Soo asked them.

Hak looked to Yona who shrugged and shook her head. They had no idea what he meant.

Ik-Soo stood then approached them, he reached into his pocket and handed Hak something small and black. At first glance it looked like an unassuming key fob for a car, but upon closer inspection the buttons were all wrong.

“That’s a satellite remote.” Zeno said then took it from Hak who was at a loss for words. He inspected it, then punched in a series of codes on the four buttons on the front. Then he flipped it over to find the single red button meant for emergencies.

“Someone has already activated this device.” Zeno showed the device to the rest of the group, then he turned to Ik-Soo. “How did you get this? It’s one of my products.”

“It was left behind,” Ik-Soo explained. “I was too late to stop them from burning down our home, but there was a man there. He was just standing there after everyone else had been taken away. I tried to force him to tell me where the kids were but he overpowered me. He knocked me unconscious and when I woke, that was lying next to me.”

“What did he look like?” Hak swallowed heavily.

“He had long, golden hair,” Ik-Soo said with a slight tremble in his voice. “And the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“It was Soo-Won,” Zeno said darkly. “Who else would have one of the HDA’s satellite remotes?”

“Is that what sent out the distress signal?” Kija asked. Field work like this was not something he normally did, so he was largely unfamiliar with the device.

“Most likely,” Zeno pocketed the device. “Did you push the button on the back, Ik-Soo?”

“I did.” He nodded. “At first I just held onto it, I was unsure what it was. But after a few days of inspecting it, I pushed the button. It beeped and flashed then went dead. The buttons didn’t work after that.”

“Did you know?” Yona asked. “Did you know pushing it would call us?”

“No,” Ik-Soo sighed. “But I had hoped it would call someone. Anyone to help me. If I had known it belonged to that man… I wouldn’t have touched it.”

“But wait,” Yun interrupted. “You said it had to be Soo-Won who dropped it since the device belongs to the HDA… Does that mean Soo-Won is--”

“Soo-Won is not HDA,” Hak growled.

Everyone froze at the anger in his voice. They were all fairly certain Hak would never be convinced that Soo-Won had gone rogue, so the sudden outburst was quite surprising.

“Hak,” Yona gripped his sleeve.

“Soo-Won is a rogue agent, who once belonged to the HDA.” Kija stepped forward to clarify. “His actions now are criminal and he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law when we catch him.”

“Who the fuck said you had a say?!” Hak rounded on Kija, stepping right up to be face to face with him. He gripped Kija by the collar of his shirt, knuckles turning white from the force of his clenched fists.

“Did you forget who I am?” Kija growled. “I am the final say as deemed by my job title! Soo-Won is a criminal and will be treated as such!”

Hak narrowed his eyes, raised his fist to strike, but then a hand shot out and gripped his arm. He looked back to see Jae-Ha looming over him, expression dark.

“If you hit him, you’ll regret it.” Jae-Ha’s voice was low and threatening.

“Taking up for your boyfriend now that you’re free?” Hak sneered. “How cute.”

“I’m not saying _I’ll_ do anything to you if you hit him,” Jae-Ha shrugged and released Hak’s arm. “But Snowflake broke my arm once, simply by holding it too tight. Just imagine what his fist to your face would feel like.”

Hak looked back to Kija who was almost expressionless. He studied him carefully for a moment, trying to determine if what Jae-Ha had said was true. Then he slowly released his hold on Kija’s collar.

“I think that makes us even,” Jae-Ha said when Hak stormed back to Yona.

Kija straightened out his shirt, silently grateful he hadn’t been punched that evening. “Yes, I think it does.”

“You’re welcome.” Jae-Ha smirked.

“I did not thank you.” Kija huffed.

“No,” Jae-Ha chuckled. “But you were thinking it.”

Kija rolled his eyes and only barely managed to suppress a smile from forming on his face. “Whatever, asshole.”

“Aww!” Jae-Ha cooed. “My first pet name!”

“Are you two done?” Hak snapped.

Kija almost flipped Hak off but then thought better of it. He was starting to be pushed over the edge by his taunts.

“Ik-soo,” Yona called. “Do you have any idea where Kum-Ji could be--”

A shout from the rocks behind them made them jump. Shin-Ah, who was at the back of the group, pulled his pistol out and aimed at something no one else could see. It was dark and the spaces between the rocks were hidden from moonlight.

“Who is it, Shin-Ah?” Jae-Ha was at his side in an instant.

“A man,” he replied. “Ten yards directly in front of me.”

“Is he alone?” Hak was at his other side, squinting into the dark.

“Yes,” Shin-Ah said calmly.

“Don’t take your eyes off of him.” Hak slowly started to advance but then the person spoke.

“Wait!” They shouted. “I just want to talk.”

“Tae-Jun?” Ik-Soo asked. “You know you shouldn’t be here!”

The man, Tae-Jun, finally stepped into the light. He looked nervous and his long, grey hair was messy like he’d run his hands through it one too many times. The sleeves of his red button down were rolled up past his elbows so two large abrasions were visible on his forearms.

“I-I know, Ik-Soo.” Tae-Jun said. He glanced to Shin-Ah who still had his weapon pointed at him. “But I thought, since it’s dark now, that it would be safe to come here.”

“Hey…” Hak stepped toward Tae-Jun slightly. “You’re that guy from earlier! What the hell happened to your arms?”

“Ah,” Tae-Jun fidgeted. “Yes, I’m glad you found the pier alright… and I just fell, actually. Bit of a klutz.”

At this remark, Shin-Ah lowered his gun. Tae-Jun sighed in relief but then tensed when he noticed Yona standing next to Ik-Soo.

“You’re the red-headed girl who I met in the market.” Tae-Jun sent her a small smile. “Was I able to help you?”

“Yes.” Yona smiled back at him. “We’re very grateful to you. But our lead has run cold.”

“I figured as much,” Tae-Jun sighed. “Right after I spoke to you Soo-Won told me they were clearing out of Port City.”

“You spoke with Soo-Won?” Hak asked, suddenly very suspicious of this man. “Who exactly are you?”

Tae-Jun shook his head. "I have a lot more on the line here. Tell me who you are first."

Hak furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before speaking. "Fair enough. We are from the HDA. Our mission is to find Soo-Won. Tell us everything you know, and I'll work out an immunity deal for you."

"Just Soo-Won?" Tae-Jun asked, completely ignoring Hak's last statement. "Why not Kum-Ji? You do know he's the leader of the ring, right?"

"Just Soo-Won," Hak repeated. "Now your name."

“My name is Kan Tae-Jun.” He replied. “I am the son of Kan Soo-Jin, who was the right hand man to Kum-Ji before Soo-Won forced his way in. I also have been working for Soo-Won by my father’s order.”

“But,” he continued hastily when Hak went to reach for his gun. “I don’t anymore. I mean, Soo-Won thinks I do but I’m just pretending. Ever since the orphanage incident I’ve been helping Ik-Soo.”

“He has,” Ik-Soo confirmed. “I’ve been able to remain hidden for this long because of him.”

“Soo-Won left me here,” Tae-Jun continued. “He wanted me to make sure there were no… loose ends, as he called it.”

“In other words,” Jae-Ha said. “You were supposed to take care of Ik-Soo.”

“Partly,” Tae-Jun nodded. "Among other things."

Hak slammed his fist against a pillar of the pier. Tae-Jun jumped at the sudden noise, watching Hak warily.

"I'm fine," he breathed when Yona started towards him. "Let's just focus on finding him now."

Kija bit his tongue, holding back what he wanted to say about the situation. Not only was Soo-Won a traitor to his country, but also to his friends. It was clear how strongly Hak felt about him, and Kija assumed Yona did as well. Nothing would please him more than taking in a man such as him.

"You really just want Soo-Won?" Tae-Jun asked nervously.

Hak nodded once.

"Well... then I can give him to you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo boy it's been a minute, hasn't it? Sorry for the delay OTL. I had to finish my semester with a lot of writing for class (which greatly hindered my creative writing here on AO3), then the holidays started. BUT now I'm so happy to present the long awaited chapter 6! Thank you for your patience <3  
> \--------

“Give him to us?” Hak asked incredulously.

Tae-Jun nodded, wringing his hands together.

“I don’t mean to demean your abilities, Tae-Jun,” Yona interjected. “But how exactly can you do that?”

“Ah, well…” Tae-Jun shifted uncomfortably under the intense gazes from the group. “It’s not like I can deliver him with a bow on his head or anything...it’s more like I know where he will be at ten o’clock tonight.”

Hak, who had been furrowing his brow in anger, shifted gears dramatically. His face lit up and in a few quick strides he was standing in front of Tae-Jun. The other man flinched when Hak gripped his shoulders, clearly frightened of him. But Hak was not trying to harm him at all.

“Where?” Hak asked. “Can you take us?”

“Um, yes…well I have to.” Tae-Jun relaxed a little when Hak released his grip. “He’s expecting me at the shipping yard then. If I don’t show neither will he.”

Hak turned back to the group immediately. “This is my first official order as your mission leader.”

Ik-Soo pulled Yun back away from the others as they focused on Hak.

“We’re listening,” Yona said.

“We break off into our two man groups, wait in hiding for Soo-Won to make contact with Tae-Jun, then once his guard is down I will arrest him.” Hak’s voice was stern and commanding.

Hak turned back to Tae-Jun. “We’re ready.”

Tae-Jun nodded despite his worries. “Okay, follow me.”

\---

They arrived at the shipping yard, where the children had gone missing, just after nine that evening. Ik-Soo and Yun had been taken to the hotel room to wait in safety. Once they had a good feel and understanding of the layout, Tae-Jun took over.

“We’re meeting at that last container--” Tae-Jun started to say, but Jae-Ha interrupted him.

“Isn’t that the one the kids had been in?” His said with a bitter tone.

“How do you know that?” Tae-Jun paused in surprise.

“Yun led us there a couple nights ago...and we found it to be empty,” Kija replied.

“Well, it’s not empty anymore,” Jae-Ha said with a smug grin.

Kija rolled his eyes but then noticed the confused looks on the group’s faces. “He threw two of the traffickers in there. They might still be alive.”

“Oh great,” Tae-Jun said sarcastically. “That’s the whole reason for this meeting. Soo-Won wants a report on why two of his men haven’t shown their faces in a few days.”

Hak snorted despite the tense atmosphere. Yona elbowed him in the ribs.

“Okay, okay,” Hak said. “Yona will be up on the container with our possibly dead friends inside and I will be on the ground just out of sight. Shin-Ah, our neighborhood sharp shooter, will be up on top of the container across from us and Zeno will be on the ground. Kija and the other guy will be at the end of the row on top of the first container. Got it?”

“The “other guy” has a question,” Jae-Ha deadpanned.

Hak tried to ignore him but Yona gave him a stern glare.

“How are we communicating, did someone bring a radio or do I need to learn how to use telepathy?” Jae-Ha shrugged and Kija drug his hands down his face in embarrassment.

Hak shook his head. “Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny asshole.”

“Zeno’s got this!” Zeno stepped forward and handed a small earpiece to each person. “I just finished the final touches last night. Now we can hear each other all the time and then talk by pressing the button on them. No more bulky, outdated handheld radios.”

They each adjusted their pieces and after a quick sound check they gathered around the meeting point at the last shipping container.

“Probably should make sure they’re alive,” Hak sighed, then added with a laugh, “I’m sure they’ll love to see the guy who threw them in here.” He threw open the latch and flung the door open, gun drawn and ready to fire if needed.

What little moonlight there was fell into the open container, illuminating two bodies. One was laying on the ground, and the other jumped in surprise at the sudden intrusion. He blinked harshly at the faint light.

“Nice to see you again.” Jae-Ha stepped into the container. The man flinched.

“P-please,” he whimpered. “He’s dead...please let me out!”

Jae-Ha hummed in thought a moment, then looked back to Hak for orders.

“We don’t need him,” Hak said. He tossed a gun to Jae-Ha. “We’ll get what we came for tonight, anyway.”

The man’s gaunt eyes grew wide for a brief second, then he turned feral. With an angry growl he lunged at Jae-Ha. He had quite clearly lost his mind, charging at someone with a gun. Without a second thought, Jae-Ha put a bullet in his skull.

“Sorry, pal.” Jae-Ha tucked the gun into the waistband at his lower back.

“Was it really necessary to kill him?” Tae-Jun trembled a moment. “He was just desperate and starved.”

Jae-Ha turned back to look at Tae-Jun. For a moment, though, he locked eyes with Kija. Even though he didn’t say anything, his eyes showed his distaste. Jae-Ha’s stomach twisted uncomfortably.

“Just following orders,” Jae-Ha said and strode past them out of the container.

Hak nodded in agreement. “He would’ve heard us climbing on the roof of the container. It was too risky to just ask him to remain quiet. This operation requires stealth.”

Tae-Jun crossed his arms in frustration. “This will be fun to explain to Soo-Won.”

Hak smiled and patted him harshly on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit!”

The minutes were ticking by, so the group separated into their teams. With a final word from Hak wishing them good luck, they retreated to their positions.

\---

“How much longer?” Jae-Ha prodded Kija who was lying at his side.

Kija checked his watch. “Ten minutes.”

The shipping yard was just as dark as the last time they had been there. From their positions, lying on their stomachs atop a container, it wasn’t that much easier to see. The moonlight was not as bright this time, but at least they had the advantage of surprise.

“Been a long time since I’ve used a gun...ten years maybe?” Jae-Ha mused to himself, fiddling with the gun in his hands.

Kija’s attention had been on their surroundings but that comment threw him off guard.

“You were only in prison for five.” Kija said with a raised brow.

Jae-Ha smiled sadly, then turned his face away from Kija. “An assassin isn’t seen, nor heard. To be an assassin is to be invisible. You don’t exist.”

Kija blinked in surprise for a moment, taken aback by the seriousness in Jae-Ha’s voice. But then Jae-Ha turned back with a dopey smile.

“Guns make a lot of noise!” Jae-Ha shrugged nonchalantly.

“It’s just extremes with you, isn’t it?” Kija sighed. “You’re too flashy to be an assassin, if that’s your definition.”

Jae-Ha laughed quietly. “You think so?”

“I _know_ so,” Kija replied. “I knew about you and your hit count. Not exactly invisible to me.”

Jae-Ha smiled happily but didn’t reply.

The sound of a car arriving both made them jump into action. Kija passed Jae-Ha the binoculars so he could speak into his earpiece he’d gotten from Zeno.

“Hakuryuu here, a car just arrived at our end.”

_“Raijuu checking in, how many people?”_

Kija looked to Jae-Ha knowing he’d heard the transmission and was watching the car through binoculars at the end of the yard.

“Just one Pretty Boy.” Jae-Ha spoke to everyone.

_“Hold position,”_ Hak said. _“Tae-Jun doesn’t have an earpiece incase the Eagle checks him, but Hiryuu and I are close enough to hear. No one moves until I’ve arrested him. Understand?”_

Each person responded their understanding. Just as Soo-Won stepped from the car, there was radio silence.

Soo-Won was the posterchild for composure and elegance. His golden hair was pulled neatly to the side in a simple pony tail, resting gently over one of his broad shoulders. Even his loose, white collared shirt was more pristine than messy. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his black slacks as he walked, shoes crunching in the gravel with each languid step.

Kija and Jae-Ha remained low and out of sight as he glided past them, making a beeline for Tae-Jun at the other end. Once he was far enough out of earshot, Kija spoke to the others.

“The Eagle is headed your way.”

There was no response, but he knew they’d heard him since Jae-Ha had heard Kija in his own earpiece. It was too risky for the others to speak as Soo-Won grew closer to them.

“Once he meets Tae-Jun,” Kija whispered to Jae-Ha, “I’ll sneak around the back towards Hak and Yona. That way I can be ready when he’s arrested. I doubt he’ll go quietly.”

Jae-Ha turned to him, giving him a confused look. “Are you breaking orders? We were told to hold position until _after_ he’s been arrested.”

Kija shook his head. “You’re not one to talk about breaking orders. But I’m not going to show myself until Hak has him.”

Jae-Ha looked back down the road, just as Soo-Won was face-to-face with Tae-Jun. Kija took that opportunity to roll off the side of the container, hitting the ground with a soft thud.

“Kija, wait.” Jae-Ha called down to him. Kija stopped then looked back up to him, even though he was barely visible in the dark.

“Stay here,” Kija said before Jae-Ha could speak. “Someone still needs to watch the front.”

With that, he was gone.

The next several minutes felt insanely slow to Jae-Ha. He couldn’t hear anything being said, but he at least could see through the night vision binoculars. He tried to find Kija at the back of the containers but he had hidden himself very well. A sudden sinking feeling in his gut made him focus in on Soo-Won.

He was talking to Tae-Jun, who looked absolutely nervous. Soo-Won had yet to remove his hands from his pockets. A cloud passed over what was left of the moon, and when the light hit Soo-Won again, a glint caught Jae-Ha’s eye. He had a gun.

It was tucked into a holster on his back, resting at his waist. It was stupid to assume Soo-Won wouldn’t go anywhere unarmed, but the whole situation had put Jae-Ha on edge. His instincts were screaming at him that something wasn’t right.

The radio was still silent, and the seconds ticked by with no movement. Hak hadn’t done anything yet and Soo-Won was still just standing there.

Jae-Ha scanned behind himself one more time for Kija, but that ended just like last time. When he turned the binoculars back, Hak was standing at Tae-Jun’s side. He had no weapon out, which further twisted the knot growing in Jae-Ha’s stomach.

“What the hell is going on…” Jae-Ha whispered to himself.

Suddenly Hak was walking forward, and that was when Jae-Ha noticed that Soo-Won had a gun pointed at him. Instantly Jae-Ha was on his feet, about to jump down and run to Hak’s aide, when a voice was speaking in his ear.

_“Lets all just calm down,”_ the voice said.

Jae-Ha didn’t recognize this voice but one look through his binoculars told him it was Soo-Won. He had taken Hak’s earpiece. Jae-Ha dropped down to the ground, then hid behind the next container. He watched through the binoculars from there.

_“I’m guessing there are four of you out there, since the HDA works in five man groups.”_ Soo-Won didn’t try to look around. He kept the gun on Hak. _“Hak doesn’t have a weapon anymore, so he can’t do anything. I suggest the other four out there drop theirs and come on out.”_

Jae-Ha waited, since he was the farthest, to see who would show themselves. Technically he wasn’t with the HDA, so he didn’t feel too bad about staying hidden. The first person out was Kija, then Jae-Ha’s stomach soured further. He watched as Kija dropped his gun, then kicked it towards Soo-Won.

Then next it was Shin-Ah and Zeno. After they came out Soo-Won grabbed Hak and hauled him closer, turning the gun to point at his head. Hak didn’t try to overpower him.

Finally, Yona showed herself.

Through the binoculars Jae-Ha watched as Soo-Won seemingly faltered a moment. Not enough to let Hak escape, but enough to be noticeable. Her presence clearly surprised him.

Zeno’s voice was suddenly speaking in Jae-Ha’s ear.

“ _We’re all here, and no longer armed. There’s no need to hold him at gunpoint anymore.”_ Zeno had left his earpiece on.

Jae-Ha smiled to himself, he was supposed to stay hidden until the time was right. Then he would attack from behind. Exactly the style of an assassin.

He left the binoculars behind, drew his gun, then began to sneak closer behind the containers. All the while he was picking up their conversation.

_“I’d like to avoid an unnecessary fight,”_ Soo-Won replied. _“Would you consider just letting me go?”_

_“Hell no!”_ Hak growled. _“You owe us an explanation. Especially to Yona.”_

Jae-Ha passed another container, making sure to move as quietly as possible. It wasn’t normally hard for him to do that, but he was tense for some reason he couldn’t understand.

_“An explanation?”_ Soo-Won asked like he had no clue what Hak could be talking about. _“What explanation does a trafficker give for his actions? Money, maybe? The thrill of having control, perhaps? You’ll have to be more specific, Hak.”_

There was silence for a moment, making Jae-Ha stop dead in his tracks. Then a loud series of gunshots had his blood running cold. He rushed forward towards the group, fearing the worst.

When he emerged from between the containers, he was just behind Soo-Won. Hak was laying on the ground and the others were diving towards their weapons. While he still had the element of surprise, Jae-Ha aimed at Soo-Won.

Just as he turned around to run, Jae-Ha fired. The bullet hit Soo-Won in his left shoulder, which only made him stumble a little. Jae-Ha wasn’t trying to kill him, he knew better than that. They needed him alive to take back to the HDA.

Soo-Won looked surprised to see Jae-Ha, and in that moment Jae-Ha lowered his guard. He saw Kija, whole and unharmed, scrambling to pick up his gun. Then Yona, who was dashing towards Hak’s motionless body. Shin-Ah was holding Zeno back, who looked desperate to run towards Hak as well. Then Jae-Ha refocused on Soo-Won. But it was too late.

He thought Soo-Won would be too injured to try and run or fight back, but he was wrong. Soo-Won was aiming his gun at Jae-Ha, and if he had been more on his guard, his reaction time would have been faster. So he closed his eyes as Soo-won fired.

But the bullet never hit.

When he opened his eyes, Soo-Won was dashing between two containers and Kija was lying at his feet. When he had gotten there, Jae-Ha wasn’t sure. Soo-Won was using the confusion to escape and the others were more concerned over their injured than giving chase.

When Jae-Ha looked down again, Kija was still lying there. Now he understood why the bullet had never hit him. Kija had been hit instead.

“Kija…” Jae-Ha stared at him, horrified. He crouched down to him, silently hoping he was alright.

“Kija, you didn’t…”

Jae-Ha turned him over to see blood covering his front.

“ _Kija!_ ”

He located the bullet wound in the right side of his chest, then pressed his hands over it to try and stop the bleeding. He didn’t have anything else to use.

“Hey!” Jae-Ha called to the others. “I need some help over here!”

Shin-Ah left Hak’s side and rushed towards Jae-Ha and Kija. He was on the phone when he crouched down by them.

“Send Min-Soo, we need to get them to a doctor.” Shin-Ah spoke to whoever was on the other line. He passed Jae-Ha a wad of gauze from his pocket.

Jae-Ha’s hands were covered in Kija’s blood as he tried his best to fill the bullet wound with the pieces of cloth.

“Hak will probably be fine but I don’t think Kija will make it without a doctor.” Shin-Ah was still talking into the phone. “Mm, yeah a chest wound.”

“Kija,” Jae-Ha called to him as he scooped him up off the ground. “Kija please wake up.”

The knot in Jae-Ha’s stomach was gone, but now it felt like there was nothing there at all. Like all his insides had dropped right out of his body. He cradled Kija to his chest, trying to keep him stable.

“Min-Soo will be here in five, but all we can do is go back to the hotel. A hospital will attract too much attention…I’m sorry.” Shin-Ah had hung up the phone and was looking to Jae-Ha with a worried expression.

Jae-Ha looked down to Kija who was still unconscious. The gauze was stopping the bleeding for now, but he knew it wouldn’t hold for long. Kija had taken a bullet for him and now there was nothing he could do to save him.

Shin-Ah retreated back to Hak and the others to tell them what was going on. Hak seemed to have only been shot in the arm, but there was a large welt across his cheek like someone had hit him.

“Kija you have to wake up.” Jae-Ha pleaded. “There’s no way your pride would let you die for me, you idiot.”

Jae-Ha brushed Kija’s bangs out of his eyes, hoping to see him open them. In a moment of panic, Jae-Ha traced his fingers down his face and to his neck. He quickly felt for a pulse, but before he found it Kija spoke.

“Tch.” Kija stirred in Jae-Ha’s arms. “I’m not dead.”

Jae-Ha sighed in relief as Kija coughed then winced. He tried to sit up but Jae-Ha held him tightly.

“You’re not going anywhere, Snowflake.” Jae-Ha stood up with Kija in his arms, despite Kija’s protests.

Min-Soo came screeching down the road in the beat up old car he’d driven at the airport. Hak took the passenger’s seat when the car halted in front of them, and the others let Kija and Jae-Ha crawl into the backseat first.

Kija sat in Jae-Ha’s lap, with his legs spread out over the others. It wasn’t exactly comfortable but the car was barely big enough to hold all of them. Especially now that they had Tae-Jun to add to the group.

“Not...one word...Jae-Ha.” Kija mumbled breathlessly when the car started moving.

“Honestly,” Jae-Ha put his hand back over Kija’s wound since the gauze was starting to fail. “At a time like this, you think I’d make a dirty joke?”

Kija coughed again. “Sounds like you…”

“Just shut up and enjoy the ride.” Jae-Ha pressed a little harder as the blood leaked out. Kija winced and gave him a disapproving look.

“And that wasn’t an innuendo,” Jae-Ha added.

“I’m sure,” Kija mumbled, then he closed his eyes to try and relax the rest of the way back.

Once they got back to the hotel, they had to sneak in the back door to avoid other guests. Yun and Ik-Soo quickly jumped into action, saying they had medical knowledge from all their years of taking care of the orphans.

“Someone needs to hold Kija down while I remove the bullet...this will hurt,” Yun said to the group. Jae-Ha was the first to volunteer.

Kija was panting heavily on the bed when Jae-Ha approached. His blue eyes were half-lidded and pained, and his cheeks were more pale than usual from the blood loss. He looked up at Jae-Ha and nodded his head, knowing he had to remain still and quiet.

“How do you need me to hold him?” Jae-Ha asked. Yun handed him a washcloth from the hotel bathroom.

“Sit behind him and put that rag in his mouth so he doesn’t scream and wake up the whole hotel. With him leaning into your chest I can still access the wound and you can pin his arms,” Yun instructed. “I’d rather not get punched today.”

Jae-Ha helped Kija sit up enough so he could slide in behind him. With Kija leaning into his chest, he slid his arms over his bent knees and gripped them firmly. On a good day, Kija was stronger than Jae-Ha. He just hoped now that he was injured and tired he couldn’t overpower him and break free.

Kija looked up at Jae-Ha from where he sat against his chest. He spoke in a breathless voice. “I won’t...thank you...okay?”

Jae-Ha smiled down at Kija then shoved the rag in his mouth without warning. Kija furrowed his brow angrily at being ignored, but Jae-Ha was already looking back to Yun.

“Okay, here goes…” Yun said.

Yun was surprisingly adept at removing bullets and stitching up wounds. He brushed it off saying he had to dislodge small objects from the kids noses all the time so removing a bullet wasn’t that different. Jae-Ha wasn’t exactly convinced. Kija only squirmed a little during the five minutes it took to remove the bullet. He mostly let out muffled screams into the washcloth. When it was finally over, Kija fell back into the mattress and spit out the rag.

Kija’s wound wasn’t very deep, and as far as Yun could tell his lungs were in perfect condition. Hak’s bullet wound was a through-and-through to the upper arm. After he was stitched and bandaged up, Yun made him lay down and force fed him water.

Yun ran a tight ship, not letting anyone near the patients as he finished bandaging them up, which made Jae-Ha pace up and down the hall. He had half a mind to punch Kija for taking a bullet for him like that, and another part of himself, a very deeply buried part, wanted to kiss him like crazy for being alive. He couldn’t figure out what to do, so he paced.

“You can come in now,” Yun stuck his head out of the door and called Jae-Ha back. The others were already sitting around the room, discussing what to do next while their injured healed.

Kija was laying on the bed; Hak had decided to just sit in a chair by the window since his wound wasn’t as serious. When Jae-Ha entered the room, everyone got quiet. He was still covered in Kija’s blood and for some reason this convinced everyone not to try and talk to him. They were treating him like he was unstable, like he could snap at any moment.

Kija tried to sit up, but Yun snapped at him. Instead, Jae-Ha sat on the edge of the bed, giving Kija a once-over.

“I’m fine,” Kija groaned. “The wound was superficial...why are you covered in blood?”

Jae-Ha looked down to his clothes and hands like he was noticing them for the first time. “It’s not mine.”

“Oh…” Kija looked away from him. “I don’t remember much before the hotel room. I mean, I know I got shot...but after that it’s kind of a blur.”

“Why?” Jae-Ha demanded in a hushed whisper. “Why did you do that?”

Kija squinted at Jae-Ha then shook his head. “I suppose I was supposed to let you just die? You can’t get off that easy.”

“What?” Jae-Ha asked, slightly confused.

“I saw this look on your face,” Kija continued. “You were just going to let it happen. If you have a death wish, go take care of it somewhere else. I won’t let you do that on my watch.”

Jae-Ha was dumbfounded. He thought back to the moment Soo-Won pointed his gun at him, and how his mind had shut down. He couldn’t react...or maybe he just didn’t choose to. Either way, his actions got Kija hurt.

“So you just decided to take a bullet?!” Jae-Ha growled. The others all stopped talking to listen.

“It was my choice!” Kija tried to yell back, but his voice was hoarse and his chest hurt too badly.

“What about mine?!” Jae-Ha loomed over him, undecided if he was angry at himself or Kija.

Kija coughed again. “That’s not a choice! You’re to follow my orders, remember? Well here’s one now: don’t get hurt!”

Jae-Ha almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. “Do you even hear yourself? What a hypocrite. You’re always saying one thing but doing another. Have you ever stopped to consider how I feel?”

Kija was about to make a retort but then he stopped himself. He pouted, clearly thinking of his next words. Finally, he sighed and shook his head.

“I thought as much,” Jae-Ha stood up from the bed. He hoped Kija would try to stop him, ask him how he felt. But at the same time he hoped he wouldn’t. He might say something Kija wasn’t ready to hear.

Jae-Ha fled to the bathroom, locking the door behind himself. He started the shower and sat on the edge of the tub as the water warmed up. When he looked at his hands all he could think about was Kija bleeding out on the ground. So he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then sighed heavily.

“I’m so fucked.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: I'm introducing a canon character who is pretty OOC. He's not prominent enough for it to really matter, and he will only appear in flashbacks, but I thought I should make it clear!

Kija slowly opened his eyes to the morning light. It was harsh and he wanted nothing more than to throw the blankets over his head. But there was a pounding behind his eyeballs and a sharp stabbing in his chest that forced him from his sleepy state. With a groan he wormed his arms out from under the heavy blankets and pushed the covers away.

He leaned onto his left, and largely uninjured, side then pushed himself into a sitting position. From there he glanced around the small hotel room. At the foot of the bed Yun was curled up into a ball. Kija smiled, silently thanking the boy for all of his help the night before. He nudged the blankets over his small body, only wincing once when the bandages pulled over his chest.

Hak was sitting in one of the plush armchairs, fast asleep and snoring. Yona was lying peacefully in the large windowsill. How she slept so calmly under the sun’s bright rays was beyond Kija’s understanding. Shin-Ah and Zeno were huddled together on the floor and Kija almost laughed at the amount of drool Zeno was leaking all over Shin-Ah’s chest.

The sound of the door clicking open made Kija jump slightly. He whipped his head around, making himself slightly dizzy, to see who had entered. The door shut once more and Kija could hear footsteps from around the corner of the small entranceway.

Jae-Ha entered the room carrying several small bags and a cardboard holder with drinks. One sniff told Kija it was coffee. Jae-Ha stopped abruptly upon seeing Kija awake and upright. They held each other’s gazes a moment with only the sound of the air conditioning to prevent an awkward silence. Jae-Ha cleared his throat, holding out the coffee and bags with a small shrug.

“Coffee and donuts?” He offered.

Kija sighed and leaned back up against the headboard and motioned to the end table to his right. “Just set them here on the nightstand.”

Jae-Ha left a coffee and one of the bags for Kija, then placed the rest on the large dresser opposite the bed. He stood there a moment, with his back to Kija. The others continued to sleep soundly as the sun rose. From Kija’s angle it seemed Jae-Ha was just staring down at the coffee. He watched his broad back a moment, waiting for him to speak.

The night before was fresh in Kija’s mind. Despite his nauseating headache, he was still able to recall Jae-Ha yelling about his own choices and then storming off to the bathroom. When he had emerged Kija had already been drifting in and out of an alcohol induced sleep per Yun’s orders. But he was able to catch Jae-Ha with nothing but a towel around his hips as he scavenged for clean clothes. Somehow he was able to remember something about scars and a haunted look in his eye. But he had been too far gone to bring those images back with any clarity.

“How long are you going to stand there?” Kija called to him, careful not to wake the others.

Jae-Ha didn’t move at first, but then he casually turned back around, smiled, then headed towards the door.

“When they wake up, let them know I’m getting some fresh air. Okay, Kija?” Jae-Ha smiled again then left the room.

“...Kija?” He repeated his own name to the quiet room. As much as he hated the silly nicknames, hearing his real one with that too bright smile stung more than he thought possible.

He scrunched his brow in confusion, then tried to think if he had done something to piss Jae-Ha off. Sure, they’d fought the night before. But they always fought. Their petty arguments had never deterred Jae-Ha before now. So what had changed?

Kija ran his hands through his hair in his frustration, which was a bad move for his wound. His bandages pulled again, making him cry out involuntarily.

Yun shot up as fast as lightning. He looked left then right then finally turned back to Kija.

“Ahh!” Yun said with a growl. “What are you doing sitting up?!”

He crawled over the bed, leaving the blankets behind, and sat at Kija’s side. He peeled back the bandages, dabbing at the dried blood along the stitches.

“Sorry, Yun.” Kija sighed. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Hm,” Yun hummed. “Clearly.”

After adding new gauze, Yun placed the bandages back down and added more of the medical tape Yona had dug out of her supplies previously. Satisfied, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes then checked the time.

“It’s just now seven.” Yun yawned and looked around the room. “I should go wake Ik-Soo or else he’ll sleep all day.”

Kija glanced at the people sleeping around him once more, then finally noticed they were short a couple people. “Where are Ik-Soo and Tae-Jun?”

“They got a room next door after I put you to sleep,” Yun said as he stood up off the bed. “This one was getting a little too crowded.”

Kija nodded although he wasn’t listening that intently. His mind had been sidetracked once again by Jae-Ha. Something felt off but Kija also thought he was looking too far into things. More than likely there was nothing wrong at all and he was just being overly dramatic.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Yun asked.

It took Kija a moment to realize Yun had been speaking to him. Then it was another three seconds before he realized by the look on his face that Yun was serious.

“My what?” Kija responded, completely taken aback.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Yun said with a small smile. “Your husband, then?”

Kija stared at him a moment, then broke out into pained laughter. He quickly silenced himself when the stabbing in his chest got to be more than he could bear.

“Sorry,” Kija sighed and wiped at his eyes. “I’m not laughing at you. I just find the notion of me and _him_ to be completely ridiculous.”

Yun squinted his eyes at Kija. “Right…I’m sure you do.”

“What does that mean?” Kija snapped.

Yun shrugged then picked up his bag as he headed for the door. “I’m just an outsider, so I don’t know much. But maybe it’s because I’m an outsider that I have this view of things. From what I can tell, the notion of you and him isn’t ridiculous at all. This whole time I’ve assumed you were a couple. Didn’t even cross my mind that you weren’t.”

Kija gaped like a fish, unable to say anything as Yun left the room. Once he left, he clamped his mouth shut and looked down at his hands. He balled his fingers into fists, gripping tightly at the blankets. Frustrated and confused, he threw the covers away and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Just as he was about to attempt standing a voice called out.

“Didn’t Yun tell you not to sit up?”

Kija’s eyes widened as he looked back to Hak, now fully awake and staring hard.

“How long have you been awake?” Kija asked.

Hak smiled, raised a brow then shrugged his non-injured shoulder. “The world may never know.”

Kija grumbled under his breath then stood up on wobbly legs.

“You’re awfully upbeat considering the circumstances,” Kija sneered back at Hak.

Hak’s smile widened. “Well, I was right all along. Why shouldn’t I be happy?”

Kija froze in his tracks, then turned to face Hak. “Right about what?”

“Soo-Won,” Hak replied. “You were there. You saw the whole thing.”

“I saw him shoot you then try to shoot Jae-Ha!” Kija yelled.

His voice caused Yona to stir. She slowly sat up, red hair disheveled and radiant in the dawn light. Hak continued on as she stretched and yawned.

“Are you blind?” Hak laughed. “Soo-Won didn’t shoot me, I shot me!”

Yona toppled over from the windowsill. Hak jumped then quickly scooped her off the floor. She fretted a moment then looked to her boyfriend in mild alarm.

“Are you an idiot?!” She shouted. “Did you really shoot yourself?!”

Hak flinched away from her. “Ah...well, it’s not that simple…”

“Oh?” Yona asked sarcastically. “Then tell me your complicated story, Hak. I’m on the same page as Kija. I saw Soo-Won--he….”

Her voice trailed off as her emotions caught up. With a stamp of her foot she bit back her tears and slapped Hak over the head. He didn’t flinch away from her this time, instead he stood still and took her anger.

“Are you okay now?” Hak asked after he let her fume a moment. She nodded her head angrily.

Hak sighed then leaned back into the chair. Zeno and Shin-Ah began to stir as he spoke again. “Yona, you were close enough to hear what he said to Tae-Jun, but I assume the rest of you--”

Hak broke off as he looked around the room. “Where’s the other guy?”

“ _Jae-Ha,”_ Kija bit back. “And he went out for some fresh air...or something.”

“He needs to hear this too.” Hak rolled his eyes. “Go on, detective. Go snoop him out.”

Yona smacked him over the head again. “Kija is in no condition to be wandering around right now.”

Kija shook his head. “Yona, it’s alright. If I don’t push myself I’ll be useless the entire mission.”

“But--” she started to retort, but Kija cut her off with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” Kija smiled warmly. “Leave this to me.”

He slipped on a loose button-down sticking out of his bag, not bothering to fully button it in his haste to get out the door. On his way out he noticed Jae-Ha hadn’t even touched the coffee he brought. He grabbed a cup then headed out. The hotel was basically deserted; he only passed by one other guest as he hunted for Jae-Ha.

After ten minutes he was about to call it quits when he caught a glimpse through the door to the fire escape. He backtracked to see Jae-Ha sitting on the landing, legs dangling freely over the edge. Kija pushed the door open and when Jae-Ha didn’t move or bother to see who had joined him, he sat down beside him.

Kija wanted to ask where the sudden cold shoulder had come from. But then he thought about how he’d always treated Jae-Ha that way so it wasn’t in his right to question Jae-Ha’s change in attitude. They sat quietly a moment before Kija passed him the coffee.

“Sorry,” Kija mumbled.

“Huh?” Jae-Ha turned to him finally. He looked down to the offered coffee then back up to Kija.

“I said I’m sorry,” Kija replied more firmly. He grabbed Jae-Ha’s arm then forced the coffee into his hand.

Jae-Ha took the cup that was forced upon him, alarmed and confused. “What are you sorry for?”

Kija motioned to himself and the general space around them. When Jae-Ha continued to stare blankly at him, he rolled his eyes.

“For anything!” Kija shouted. “For whatever made you upset enough to wander off and yell at me last night.”

Jae-Ha placed the coffee between them, catching Kija’s attention. When he looked back up at Jae-Ha, he was visibly angry. It was alarming for Kija to see those purple eyes so full of emotion. Especially when he was sure those eyes also looked slightly hurt.

“Kija,” Jae-Ha said as he stood up. “Empty apologies to appease others are meaningless. How can you be sincere when you don’t even know what you’re sorry for?”

Kija looked up at Jae-Ha but his back was now turned. Abandoning the coffee, Kija struggled to stand. He was starting to get dizzy again and the pain in his chest was growing rapidly. _The medication from Yun must be wearing off_ , he thought.

Kija gripped the railing of the fire escape as he spoke. “How can I know that if you won’t be straight with me?”

Jae-Ha laughed bitterly. “I can’t spoon feed you the answers. If you don’t know, then I can’t help you. You’d probably think it was ridiculous, anyway.”

With that, Jae-Ha left Kija on the fire escape.

Kija leaned against the metal stairs from the floor above, the pain was starting to be too much. _Ridiculous_ , he thought. _Why would it be--_

Yun’s words were blaring through his head, cutting off all other thought.

_“From what I can tell, the notion of you and him isn’t ridiculous at all.”_

Kija’s heart skipped a beat.

“Ridiculous?” He questioned aloud. “No that’s...that’s impossible. Absolutely unacceptable.”

He pushed himself off from the railing of the stairs, then ran back inside. He trotted down the hall, unable to run due to his weakened state. But if he could, he would have. The record needed to be cleared, he needed to know the truth. There was no way Jae-Ha thought of him as more than just the man who imprisoned him. The only way to clear the air was to ask him directly.

He passed several halls before he finally caught up to Jae-Ha who was just entering the elevator.

“Jae-Ha!” Kija called in a rush. He ran through the closing doors and crashed right into his broad chest.

“What the hell?” Jae-Ha said as he caught him.

Kija was completely out of breath and most of the elevator ride consisted of him struggling to stand, let alone take in a full breath.

When the elevator arrived at their floor, Jae-Ha helped Kija off and leaned him against the wall. He watched him worriedly as he regained his composure.

“Running after me was completely unnecessary.” Jae-Ha shook his head. “We’re staying in the same room.”

Kija pouted but ignored the statement. “I need to know. I need to know what you think I would find ridiculous.”

Jae-Ha took a step back, clearly uncomfortable. “Can we just go back in the room, Kija?”

“Stop that!” Kija growled.

“Stop what?” Jae-Ha snapped back.

“Stop saying my name!” Kija stood up off the wall and stepped towards Jae-Ha.

Jae-Ha’s face darkened. “Oh. You want to be honest now, do you?”

Kija sighed. “Yes, thank you. I just want you to be honest and tell me why you’re so upset.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Jae-Ha’s voice rose slightly. “I asked if _you_ wanted to be honest, Kija. I know who I am and what I want. It’s your turn.”

Kija froze, unable to think of a retort to what Jae-Ha had said. Suddenly he was hit with a wave of fear. His father was in his mind telling him, _“Kija this isn’t you. You can’t be this person and be my son.”_ His face paled at the thought of opening up the box he’d created within himself. The box that held his true desires and feelings. It must never be opened.

“I just…” Kija stumbled over his words. “I just wanted to know...t-to ask how you felt. To make sure there were no romantic feelings between us.”

Jae-Ha, who had been growing angrier as Kija stood there looking dumbfounded, lost all of his aggression in one breath.

“What?” Jae-Ha asked, afraid to have Kija repeat himself and say what he thought he’d heard.

Kija clapped his hands over his mouth, cheeks burning bright red. He looked at Jae-Ha with wide eyes before mumbling an apology.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed. “I don’t know why I said that.”

“So…” Jae-Ha pushed. “You didn’t mean it?”

“Ah,” Kija said shyly. “Well, of course I meant it. I mean, it’s obvious enough there’s no romantic feelings between us. There was no reason for me to say--”

Kija stopped talking when he noticed Jae-Ha backing away. Again, he could see hurt in his purple eyes. He was confused for only a moment this time. Kija may be naive and closed off, but he definitely wasn’t stupid.

“Oh.” Was all Kija could say. “Oh…”

“Don’t say anything else.” Jae-Ha spoke in a strained voice. “I was the foolish one to think of you...I was out of line.”

“Jae--”

“I said don’t say anything!” Jae-Ha stepped further away.

Kija jumped in surprise at being yelled at. He was tense and at a loss for words. The last thing he had expected was for Jae-Ha to develop feelings for him. Even more than that, he hadn’t expected to not be completely repulsed at the idea.

“Let’s just go back and forget this happened,” Jae-Ha sighed. “We have a mission to finish. Whatever the hell this is can wait.”

Kija stood in silence, looking at Jae-Ha.

“Did you hear me?” Jae-Ha asked. He finally took a step towards Kija.

Kija flinched away.

“Yeah, I get it.” Jae-Ha said. “You hate me and I’m nothing more than a criminal to you. But if you can’t even work alongside me anymore then you’re not the agent I thought you were.”

Kija instantly snapped out of his stupor. “Excuse me? Don’t put words in my mouth. When did I ever say I hated you? Just because you give me a botched confession you think I’m going to run away with my tail between my legs? As if, sweetheart. Don’t think so poorly of me.”

Kija stormed past Jae-Ha down the hall towards their room. They’d been gone way too long. Kija was honestly surprised no one had come looking for them.

Jae-Ha watched as Kija passed, no longer feeling hurt and dejected.

“Sweetheart?” Jae-Ha called to him. Kija froze.

“Did you just call me sweetheart?” Jae-Ha tried to hide the amusement in his voice.

Kija instantly started walking again.

“Hey, wait!” Jae-Ha took off after him. “Where’s my confession kiss?”

“Keep dreaming!” Kija yelled back, slightly flustered. “I never said I felt the same way, asshole.”

Jae-Ha slid in between Kija and the door to the room. “I never confessed anything to you. You just assumed.”

Kija scrunched his brow and thought a moment. When he realized Jae-Ha was right, his face turned bright red.

“Oh that’s a cute color on you,” Jae-Ha purred. “Let’s call this water under the bridge?”

Kija nodded numbly, feeling far too nervous standing in front of Jae-Ha when he acted so cool and calm.

Jae-Ha opened the door and as Kija walked past him into the room, he whispered in his ear.

“Nice to know you’re not completely against me confessing to you, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kija ran into the room and crawled back into the bed. He ignored the others calling to him as threw the blankets over his head.

His heart was racing a million miles a minute and he couldn’t be sure it wasn’t Jae-Ha that had caused it.

\---

After Yun returned with Tae-Jun and Ik-Soo, Kija received the worst scolding of his life. Apparently running around the hotel was “so stupid he should just drop dead”. Kija took it in stride and apologized profusely for disobeying Yun’s orders to stay in bed. Everyone else seemed to think the whole exchange was hilarious enough to record videos of it on their phones.

Once they settled down, Hak dove into the matter at hand. Soo-Won was still at large and Hak needed to explain the mysteries from the night before.

“So…” Yun said once Hak had told his story. “You shot yourself.”

“Correct,” Hak replied.

“But it was on accident?” Yona asked.

“Kind of,” Hak shrugged. “It definitely threw Soo-Won off.”

“And he tried to shoot Jae-Ha because he assumed he was a third party,” Kija reiterated.

“It makes sense,” Hak replied with a nod. “He only assumed there were five of us and the appearance of a sixth man he didn’t recognize must've alarmed him.”

“Or,” Jae-Ha said irritably. “He’s a piece of shit who nearly killed Kija.”

Before Hak could react, Yona was on her feet. She sent a glare to Hak, warning him not to move.

Tae-Jun waved dismissively. “What about _before_ he held Hak hostage? I can’t be the only one who heard--”

“You weren’t,” Hak interrupted. “I was just getting to that.”

At this, Yona sat back on the windowsill. She had been close enough to hear everything that had transpired before Hak had been held at gunpoint. The others had been out of earshot at the time.

“From my point of view,” Jae-Ha chimed in. “One minute Soo-Won was speaking to Tae-Jun, then the next Hak willingly offered himself up.”

“Your point of view is stupid,” Hak deadpanned. But then he continued with a sigh when Kija gave him a mean look. “Soo-Won knew Tae-Jun was working with us. How he knew is beyond me, but he did. He specifically called out Kija before anyone even showed themselves.”

“What?” Kija asked, alarmed. “How would he know I was there? How does he know me at all?”

“Are you stupid?” Hak growled. “You’re the head of the Criminal Analysis Department at the HDA. Soo-Won is--was--an HDA agent. Everyone knows who you are, dumbass.”

Kija crossed his arms over his chest indignantly. Jae-Ha quietly snickered from behind him where he sat.

“Anyway,” Hak continued. “If I knew how he could tell we were there, I’d be able to figure all this out. He was so certain that Tae-Jun was working with the HDA...almost like he had _proof._ ”

“So,” Zeno spoke up, making a few people jump. He’d been surprisingly quiet the whole time so they’d nearly forgotten he was even there. “What you’re saying is, that Soo-Won knew we were there and that we’ve been working with Tae-Jun, one of his men. He never intended to harm anyone and left without killing the one person who could lead us directly to him?”

“Yes,” Hak said. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Hmm,” Zeno tapped his finger to his chin. “And this is all based on your assumption of his character? Hmm…alright. Let’s go with that. Let’s say Hak is right and Soo-Won let us live, knowing we’re onto him. What does that mean?”

“That would mean Soo-Won is leading us.” Kija replied. “If Hak is right, and I’m not saying he is, it would mean we are chasing a trail of breadcrumbs and our mission just got a lot more complicated.”

For a moment, there was silence. Hak looked pleased the others were considering his proposal, but Yona seemed like she was lost in thought. Kija wasn’t exactly ready to accept that Soo-Won was some puppeteer, pulling their strings to make them dance the way he wanted. But he couldn’t figure out why Soo-Won would willingly come to a meeting with Tae-Jun, if he already knew he’d been working with the HDA.

“No,” Jae-Ha said firmly, breaking the silence. “He hurt Kija, that’s not something I would so readily forgive.”

“Your _personal_ feelings don’t mean anything,” Hak snapped. “It won’t change the facts.”

“Maybe not,” Jae-Ha sneered back. “But if he was so innocent as you seem to think, why does Kija have a bullet wound in his chest?”

“ _A_ _s I recall--_ ” Hak started to shout, but Kija cut him off.

“I jumped in front of that bullet,” Kija stated calmly to Jae-Ha.

Jae-Ha quieted, eyes locked with Kija’s.

“I took the bullet...it was my choice.” Kija repeated. “I’m sorry, Jae-Ha. I know you’re mad at me for more than just last night...and maybe I don’t know what all I have done. But I’ll figure it out. I promise to figure out what I did wrong and fix it. So please don’t let whatever is going on between us affect your judgement with Soo-Won.”

It only took a second for Kija to realize what he’d said in front of the whole room. It took a few more for everyone else to realize it too. Then Hak was rolling over in laughter, much to Kija’s horror.

“Oh, man!” Hak bellowed. “So you _are_ fucking! This is priceless!”

“What?!” Kija screeched. “We are not!”

“Trust me,” Jae-Ha said with a hint of a smile on his face. “You’d know it if we were.”

“Jae-Ha!” Kija scolded him. Finally having had enough, Kija left the room.

“Wait, Snowflake!” Jae-Ha called after him. “Don’t let that asshole get to you.”

Jae-Ha chased after him, but he didn’t have to go far. Kija was leaning against the wall in the hallway, pouting heavily with a rosy blush on his cheeks.

Jae-Ha smiled at him, closed the door behind himself, then joined him against the wall.

“So,” he started. “What exactly is going on between us?”

“Oh, stop it!” Kija threw his arms into the air. “I let you off the hook earlier but now I’m too irritated to play games with you.”

“Games?” Jae-Ha asked, confused. “I was never playing a game, Kija.”

Kija stopped pouting. “So all this time, when you...you…”

“When I what?” Jae-Ha pushed.

“You know…” Kija fumbled with his words. “When you _flirt_ …That wasn’t a game?”

Jae-Ha sighed, seemingly nervous as he folded his arms over his chest. “Would it upset you if I was serious?”

Kija thought a moment, brow scrunched. “It’s weird...but no. I don’t think I’d be upset.”

Jae-Ha visibly relaxed at this. “Good. I enjoy flirting with you. You’re definitely my type.”

Kija clamped his mouth shut, cheeks burning an even brighter red than before. Before he could respond, Jae-Ha moved. He pinned Kija to the wall, looming over him with a sly smile.

“Now that I know it doesn’t upset you,” Jae-Ha whispered as he leaned in. “I’ll just take my flirting to the next level.”

Kija became stiff and his mind shut down, he sucked in a sudden breath then Jae-Ha’s looming presence was gone.

“Just kidding,” Jae-Ha chuckled. “I won’t force you to do something you’re not willing to.”

“O-oh,” Kija nodded numbly and tried to smile. His heart was beating so hard and fast he feared Jae-Ha might hear it.

They stood side by side a moment, leaned up against the wall, and Kija was grateful for it. If he had tried to walk back into the room now he thought for sure his knees would give out.

“Do you remember how you used to hide at my cell?” Jae-Ha asked suddenly.

The new direction of conversation nearly gave Kija a mental whiplash. He refocused and thought back to the past five years of Jae-Ha’s imprisonment. Sure enough, he recalled a few times he’d sat outside the other man’s cell. It was the quietest and most secure place in the entirety of the HDA’s headquarters.

“Yes, of course,” Kija replied. “Why are you asking?”’

“No reason.” Jae-Ha shrugged. “I’m just recalling a time shortly after you caught me. I met your father then.”

Kija’s face darkened.

“It wasn’t hard to figure out who he was,” Jae-Ha continued. “You look just like him. Though I’m guessing that doesn’t please you.”

“Not really,” Kija said uncomfortably. “Why are you bringing him up?”

“Relax,” Jae-Ha soothed. “Do you remember what I said to you back then?”

Kija closed his eyes, thinking back to that day five years ago.

It had been a long one, and the busyness of his department had driven him down to the lowest level of the building. He had found himself at the farthest corner, which had just so happened to be right outside of the cell of his most recent catch.

He’d sat there peacefully with his back to the glass, when his father had found him.

At first Kija had been pleased his father had paid him a visit. He figured he would be congratulated and his father, a military man, would finally be proud of his son.

_“I see you’ve made a name for yourself,” his father said in a clipped tone. “It’s about time.”_

_Kija stiffened, trying to accept the compliment buried in the bitterness. “Thank you, father.”_

_“Not that this was anything difficult.” His father waved towards Jae-Ha in his cell nonchalantly. “You had help, I’m sure.”_

_“No, father,” Kija said excitedly. “I did this on my own. I--”_

_“I doubt that.” His father cut him off. “In the end, you’ll never be the son I wanted. Just a disappointment.”_

_The old military general looked into the darkened cell, noting Jae-Ha curled up at the back, staring intently. Kija turned slightly, following his father’s line of vision._

_“He can’t hear us,” Kija said._

_“No matter,” his father continued. “The day I caught you with your pants down with another man, won’t be forgotten.”_

_Kija froze, eyes wide._

_“Let this be a lesson to you,” he said. “No matter what you do here in the HDA, it won’t be good enough.”_

_With that, his father left._

_Kija’s back hit the glass as he slumped down to the floor. He knew nothing he did would please his father. But a part of him still wanted to always try._

_He was so lost in thought that he nearly didn’t notice Jae-Ha approaching from behind. Kija turned to face the glass, seeing eye to eye with Jae-Ha who sat on the floor just beyond the glass wall of his cell._

_Kija reached up and pressed the intercom. “What do you want?”_

_“Four years, seven months, and fifteen days,” Jae-Ha said._

_Kija raised a brow to him. “Excuse me?”_

_“That’s how long Mun-Dok chased me.” Jae-Ha shrugged. “Mun-Dok and all of his men, I mean.”_

_“And?” Kija asked, annoyed at being disturbed for something like this._

_“You caught me after one night.” Jae-Ha said with a roll of his eyes. “I’m offended anyone would think someone less capable than you could have accomplished this.”_

_“What are you talking about?” Kija stood, looking down on Jae-Ha who still sat cross-legged on the floor beyond the glass._

_Jae-Ha sighed, then stood up. He began to retreat back into the darkness of his cell but then stopped to speak one last time. “You’re good enough, Snowflake.”_

“You’re good enough,” Jae-Ha said, shaking Kija from his memories.

“You can read lips can’t you,” Kija realized with a sigh. “You know everything my father said to me that day.”

“Sorry, love.” Jae-Ha smiled sadly. “I know.”

Kija turned away slightly, embarrassed that Jae-Ha had known this about him the whole time.

“That’s why I said you’re good enough,” Jae-Ha continued. “You don’t have to hide yourself with me. He’s not here.”

Kija bit his lip, trembling slightly from feeling so exposed.

“If it makes you feel better, you’re not alone.” Jae-Ha said casually.

“Oh, yeah?” Kija laughed. “Did your dad catch you getting a blow job from your secret boyfriend?”

Jae-Ha smiled and threw his head back in laughter. “Not quite. But that’s a great mental image, to be honest.”

Kija turned towards Jae-Ha. He suddenly felt closer to him than ever before. He smiled up at Jae-Ha, who was wiping a solitary tear from his eye.

“So your flirting wasn’t a game,” Kija said with a smirk. “Because you’re as gay as I am and you’ve known that this whole time?”

“More or less.” Jae-Ha smiled back. “I just wanted you to open up.”

“Thank you.” Kija sighed. “I’ve been so cold towards you...you didn’t deserve that.”

Jae-Ha shook his head. “It’s alright. You didn’t know what my angle was. But now that it’s all out in the open...do you trust me?”

Kija nodded. “Yeah, Jae-Ha. I trust you.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Listens to my Captive Prince playlist and cries while I write JaeKi*  
> This chapter took so much out of me to write. Its my favorite and best so far. Hope you enjoy! And remember to love Jae-Ha eternally because he fucking deserves it. :))))))))))))))

It took a few days for Hak and Kija to heal enough to head back out into the city again. During that time Hak managed to convince everyone to go with his theory that Soo-Won was trying to lead them somewhere. Although they weren’t really sure where that was, or why.

“Any other locations where Soo-Won could be?” Hak asked Tae-Jun on the third evening after the shooting incident.

“The only other place I even know exists is Kum-Ji’s main house,” Tae-Jun said with a grimace. “But I have no idea where that is.”

Hak sighed and ran a hand through his black hair. Tae-Jun let his shoulders droop sadly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Yona said and placed her hand on Tae-Jun’s shoulder. “You’ve done more than any of us have done this whole trip.”

He perked up slightly at that and gave Yona a small smile.

“Excuse me,” Kija interjected. “I got shot. That should count for something.”

“Well so did I,” Hak scoffed.

“You don’t count, you crazy masochist,” Jae-Ha said with a roll of his eyes.

“ _You’re one to talk,_ ” Hak replied with a growl. “The way you taunt Kija, you must be a glutton for punishment.”’

Jae-Ha shifted in his seat by the only window in their hotel room, momentarily looking to Kija across the room on the bed. Kija only chuckled slightly, not seeming to mind Hak’s borderline inappropriate remark.

“Okay!” Zeno exclaimed with a clap of his hands. “Children should behave themselves, yeah? Be nice to your siblings!”

“We’re not--”

“I am not his bro--”

Hak and Jae-Ha started to argue back but one stern look from Zeno forced both of them to stop talking.

Just then, a phone rang. An unfamiliar tune blared in the small room and when no one moved to answer it, all eyes went to Shin-Ah who was quickly standing up.

He fished into his pants pocket and pulled out his cellphone. He stared blankly at the screen for a moment before answering.

“Ao,” he said as a greeting.

Hak was instantly alert. Not only did he have a stupidly large crush on Ao, but Ao was also in charge of communication to headquarters for their mission.

“Mm,” Shin-Ah responded to the voice no one else could hear. “Not really.”

The muffled and gruff tone of Ao filtered through the phone into the quiet room. It was impossible to discern what he was saying and Shin-Ah didn’t look like he was about to put him on speaker.

“The trail is cold for now,” Shin-Ah said with a shrug. Hak tensed, afraid Ao would tear into them for doing so poorly. But then Shin-Ah blushed slightly. “Ah...yes. I am eating well, I promise.”

Jae-Ha tensed, gripping the arm of his chair. Kija, who had been unashamedly staring at Jae-Ha, picked up on the subtle movement. Everyone else was too interested in Shin-Ah’s conversation to notice him.

“I get enough sleep too,” Shin-Ah whispered into the phone. “You don’t need to worry about me so much…”

There was a beat of silence, followed by a loud sigh from Shin-Ah’s phone. Jae-Ha’s eyes flashed to the door.

Kija frowned, carefully watching Jae-Ha’s odd behavior.

“I know,” Shin-Ah said with a happy sigh. “I should go… Mm, thank you...dad.”

Before he even hung up the phone, Jae-Ha was gone. Kija stared wide-eyed at the open door, but didn’t follow. Hak was already shaking down Shin-Ah for information about the phone call, and someone needed to pry him from the poor kid.

Later that night, Kija was out on patrol with Jae-Ha. Every night they worked in pairs on a rotation, circling the nearby streets in case someone was watching them in their hotel room. For three hours, they walked in silence. The atmosphere was tense and Kija swore this was the longest amount of time Jae-Ha had ever gone without talking.

Finally, as the time crept closer to sunrise, Kija broke the silence.

“Please say something.”

Jae-Ha shoved his hands into his pockets, then sent a wry smile to Kija. “Miss hearing my voice that much?”

Kija sighed. “No. It’s just weird when you’re...not talking.”

Jae-Ha chuckled lightly. “Sorry, Snowflake. Guess I was just lost in thought.”

Kija kicked at a small rock in his path on the sidewalk. He watched it skitter into the dark street before he spoke again. “About Shin-Ah and Ao?”

Jae-Ha’s shoulder stiffened for a split second, but then he relaxed again. It was small enough to make Kija think it may have not even happened and he was imagining things. “Why would I be thinking about them?”

“You practically ran out of the room earlier,” Kija replied. “What else was it then? If not them?”

Jae-Ha stopped under a lamppost, a few feet ahead of Kija, just as it clicked off. The sun was breaching the horizon.

“It was nothing,” Jae-Ha said.

Kija stared at his back for a moment and pondered whether or not to call him out on his obvious lie.

“I thought we agreed to trust each other,” Kija said in a clipped tone.

Jae-Ha sent a glare over his shoulder. “Trusting each other doesn’t mean I have to share everything I think with you.”

Kija took a step back, unsure why he was suddenly on the receiving end of such a hostile gaze. He quickly got angry and he was incredibly close to exploding and telling Jae-Ha off. But then in the courtyard of their hotel across the street, Kija saw someone watching them in the shadow of a pillar.

He gripped Jae-Ha’s arm, and with only a quick motion of his eyes he told Jae-Ha what he saw. But even that movement was enough to set off the stranger. In the next second the man was running at them, a knife glinting in his hand.

Jae-Ha met him halfway, knocking the man back into the dimly lit courtyard. He quickly disarmed the attacker and took his knife from him. Kija ran after them and drew his gun.

“ _Jae-ha_!” Kija called from the entrance to the courtyard.

Jae-Ha wanted to look back, to see why his name had been called in such a desperate tone. But he was a little preoccupied. His hands were full of a man's shirt and a blade.

The attacker lunged at Jae-Ha, ignoring the dangerous glint of sharp metal to his left. They tumbled backwards, falling hard onto the cobblestone. The impact knocked the breath from Jae-Ha’s lungs. Kija’s eyes grew wide in fear.

He hadn’t seen Jae-Ha fight anyone since they’d arrived in Awa. He was ruthless, using anything he could grab against the assailant. With his back on the ground, and the man on top of him, he couldn’t fight properly. His hand with the knife was pinned, so he brought up his other one, clawing down the man’s face with his nails.

The attacker yelped, pulling away from Jae-Ha. Kija aimed his weapon, ready to injure the attacker and help, but they were moving too much. Kija’s strength wasn’t shooting a gun.

Just when he decided to abandon it and run to pull the man off, Jae-Ha bucked under the man. He flipped the attacker, pinning him to the cobblestone. The look on Jae-Ha’s face froze Kija in his tracks.

His eyes were wide and focused, but his expression was dark and alarming. He looked, to Kija, like a wild animal. In that instant Kija knew Jae-Ha could have easily overpowered him at any time. Screw his abnormally strong body, Jae-Ha was clearly the superior fighter.

Jae-Ha flipped the knife in his grip, and before Kija could yell to not kill him, it was too late.

The knife sank heavily into the man’s skull. The noise of the Impact was sickening; a wet crunch that made Kija’s stomach flip. He slowly holstered his gun as Jae-Ha sat over the man, hand still gripping the knife.

Jae-Ha’s breathing was ragged and loud. When he continued to hold the knife in place, Kija stepped forward.

He crouched down next to Jae-Ha and placed his hand over the one on the knife. The touch startled Jae-Ha and he rolled away in a flash.

“Jae-Ha,” Kija said. He searched his sweaty face for signs that he was in pain.

“Worry is a cute expression for you, Snowflake,” Jae-Ha breathed after a moment.

“For once, would you just shut up,” Kija laughed shakily then sighed with relief. For a moment it seemed Jae-Ha was out of his mind. He stood and approached Jae-Ha, then extended his hand to help him up. Jae-Ha took it with a sly smile and allowed Kija to pull him off the ground.

“I'd say it's been a productive morning.” Jae-Ha shrugged, looking to Kija and not at the dead man

In the morning sun, the light that filtered through the clouds fell on Jae-Ha in a pleasing way for Kija. His height forced him to look up, his eyes squinting to see clearly. Jae-Ha’s tanned skin glistened beautifully. It was not a mystery to Kija why he'd always thought Jae-Ha was handsome. The man was tall and had sharp features with heavy eyes that always made Kija feel like he was undressing him with them. His personality was something Kija had to get used to. Not that it was necessarily unpleasant. On the contrary Kija was definitely more inclined to enjoy his company now that they'd become allies.

“Something on my face?” Jae-Ha asked in a teasing voice.

“What?” Kija recovered from his stupor hurriedly. “Of course. Lots of sweat.”

Jae-Ha’s grin fell. “You wound me.”

“Then take a shower.” Kija stalked off with a pout.

Jae-Ha looked down at himself at that remark. He was covered in blood. The scratches he’d left had been deep enough to bleed freely and the stab wound to the man’s head also made a large mess. Head wounds were always the bloodiest.

Jae-Ha let out a small gasp.

“What’s wrong?” Kija asked, then looked to the dead man. “We need to get rid of him.”

Jae-Ha nodded, but Kija could tell he wasn’t entirely focused. After they dumped the man in the hotel’s dumpster, Jae-Ha shut down.

“Do I have to hold your hand and drag you back?” Kija asked when Jae-Ha refused to take another step. “You killed that man. We don’t even know why he was watching us or why he attacked us. He could’ve been a common thief for all we know. We need to go back to the others and tell them.”

Jae-Ha finally looked at Kija. The look in Jae-Ha’s eyes frightened him, reminding him of the wild animal he’d just watched murder some man in cold blood.

“You don’t know anything,” Jae-Ha snarled. “He attacked us. I stopped him.”

“You _killed_ him,” Kija said with a sigh. “I get that you were an assassin, and it’s in your nature but that was too--”

“You shut the fuck up!” Jae-Ha yelled, making Kija jump.

They stood there for a few minutes, in the alley of the hotel, staring at each other. When a car drove by at the end of the alley, Kija quickly grabbed Jae-Ha’s arm. He forced him to follow through the back of the hotel, then up the service elevator to their floor.

To Kija’s relief, their spare room was empty. Kija placed a chair under the door to ensure no one else would barge in and shoved Jae-Ha into a chair at the small table. Kija took the seat across from him. He eyed the blood on Jae-Ha’s clothes and hands, then looked into his dark purple eyes.

“That man is dead,” Kija said. “I know this job requires us to kill, I’m not stupid. But you didn’t even question him first. What if he’d just been a simple mugger? Do you not care about that?”

“I told you,” Jae-Ha snapped. “He attacked so I stopped him. What’s the big deal?”

“None of this makes sense, Jae-Ha.” Kija ran his pale hands through his hair. The white strands tangled around his fingers as he gripped at his head. “First you ran out of the room, then you’re quiet. Now this? Why are you acting this way?”

“We grew up in very different lives, sweetheart,” Jae-Ha said, a hint of danger in his eyes. “I handle things my own way.”

Kija’s hands hit the table, making the cups bounce. “I _know_ that.”

“Then what are you confused about?” Jae-Ha replied testily. “The fact that I've no remorse for the people I've killed? Or that I was raised to leave behind any emotion that could hinder my job? Do you want me to apologize for killing him?”

“Yes!” Kija blurted out. Then he thought it over again. “No. I don't know...you rid yourself of _all_ emotion?”

Jae-Ha eyed him suspiciously. “No.”

This eased Kija slightly. “What...I mean, was that hard?”

Jae-Ha leaned back into his chair, his gaze falling to an empty glass on the wooden table. He stared at it intently for a moment, like he was dragging up an answer.

“I don't know,” he answered honestly. “I was raised to forget them. Beaten when I failed. Given hope to have it snatched away as a lesson. It was more like my father….”

“Your father?” Kija asked.

Jae-Ha’s breath hitched slightly before he could stamp down the exclamation. But Kija saw it. Kija always saw.

“He…” Jae-Ha continued. “He owned us. I don't know what a father is, but he was probably mine.”

“Fathers do not own their sons,” Kija said. He leaned forward in his seat to place his hands on Jae-Ha’s knees. It irritated him to hear Jae-Ha speak like that.

Jae-Ha started at his touch. He looked into the cool blue eyes that were holding him. His white hair framed his head like a halo.

“Well,” Jae-Ha said with a dark laugh. “He taught me. And the others. I never felt special even though he payed the most attention to me. I think he thought I was some kind of perfect assassin. Most of the others had come willingly, desiring to be trained and learn to wallow in the underbelly of the world. But not me. I never had a choice.”

Kija released his grip on Jae-Ha’s knees. “You always do.”

“ _Shut up.”_ Jae-Ha turned on him, eyes burning bright. “You don't know anything. Raised in a pampered life with choices that had no consequences as serious as death. What could you know?”

Kija’s eyes widened. If he'd been standing he would've taken a step back. Instead he leaned as far back from Jae-Ha and his anger as he could.

His face must've told how hurtful those words had been for him, because Jae-Ha’s face paled.

“Kija…” Jae-Ha reached out to him tentatively.

Kija schooled his expression, ignoring Jae-Ha’s outstretched hand. “You don’t need to say anything.”

“But--”

“This isn’t about me,” Kija said with a stern voice. He took in a deep breath then let it out slowly. “Why didn’t you have a choice?”

Jae-Ha lowered his hand, brow furrowed in worry. They were sitting opposite one another, in twin chairs, only a few feet between them.

“Once my emotions were in check,” Jae-Ha said in a shaky voice, “killing was easy. But I never once thought that I would stay there forever. I tried to escape at every turn. My fa-- _Garou_ \--eventually took drastic measures.”

Kija sat quietly a moment, waiting for Jae-Ha to speak again. When nothing happened, Kija prompted him. “Like what, Jae-Ha?”

“It was nothing,” Jae-Ha said quickly. He avoided Kija’s eyes. “Anyway, obviously I did get away eventually so--”

“Like what?” Kija pushed gently again.

Jae-Ha clamped his mouth shut and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I won’t force you to tell me,” Kija said. “But know that nothing you say will change anything between us.”

Jae-Ha thought a moment. “I’m not so sure.”

“I guess there really is no guarantee,” Kija replied. Then he sat back to let Jae-Ha decide on his own.

After a few minutes, Jae-Ha sighed. “I only wanted to escape. Failing a mission meant death. I didn’t want to die, Kija. So, I tried to run. But he wouldn’t let me go. He…” Jae-Ha paused and looked away from Kija. “He chained me up every night...to keep me there.”

Jae-Ha felt himself break. He broke from his confession, from the look in Kija’s blue eyes, from the fact that Kija had just put the pieces together. He knew telling Kija this would have a negative reaction. Despite his own issues, his own past, the last thing he wanted to do was make Kija look like he did now.

“You had no choice…” Kija repeated in a whisper. His eyes were staring at Jae-Ha yet they were distant, like he wasn’t focused at all. “I...I did that to you. Just like _him_.”

“Yes,” Jae-Ha replied. It was the truth, no matter how much he wanted to keep it hidden. “And I hated you for it.”

Kija gripped at his own knees, feeling like he would fall from his chair at any moment. There was an echo in him that reverberated and blocked out all other thought. His own mind was screaming at him that he’d stolen Jae-Ha’s freedom.

_He had chained him down_ . _He had forced him to relive the life he’d escaped from._

“Hate me,” Kija said in a breathy voice.

“I don’t anymore,” Jae-Ha said simply. “Not for a long time.”

“ _Hate me.”_

“No.”

“ _Why not?!”_ Kija growled as he shot out of his chair.

Jae-Ha rose when Kija did. “Because you’re not who I thought you were!”

“Well neither are you!” Kija stepped forward. “But I did--”

“Who cares what you did?!” Jae-Ha yelled. “You knew nothing about my life! Don’t be so arrogant!”

“I want to know!” Kija’s face was flushed in anger and he couldn’t tell anymore who it was directed at.

“Fine!” Jae-Ha threw his hands up in exasperation. He was close enough to Kija to see his lips tremble. “I hated you. I hated what you stood for, that you had this pampered life and a cushy job and friends who cared for you and I hated how pretty you were and _most of all_ I hated that you chose to hide at my cell like I was some sort of escape for you! I was stuck there and _you thought I was an escape._ ”

Kija grit his teeth, fists balled at his sides. It took everything in him to not break down. But he deserved this and he would take whatever Jae-Ha threw at him.

“But then,” Jae-Ha continued in his rage. “Your father had to show up and ruin everything! I felt for you and that pissed me off. I ended up being honest for the first fucking time and then you had the audacity to look at me with your stupidly gorgeous eyes. After that I forgot that the chains were there, I forgot Garou and the place I had never wanted to call home. You kept visiting me and then...and then I was made to be your partner.”

Jae-Ha took a much needed breath. He was surprised Kija hadn’t told him off or ran. He’d stood there while he shouted, pale face still as stone. Jae-Ha couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he’d just unloaded everything on Kija and a part of him regretted it. But a larger part felt like a weight had been lifted.

“I became your partner,” Jae-Ha repeated. Kija nodded, the only sign that he’d heard anything Jae-Ha had said. “I realized after a couple days that at some point...years ago...I’d stopped hating you. My own facade fooled me, can you believe that?”

“Anything else?” Kija asked, face impossible to read.

Jae-Ha shook his head. He was too exhausted to think of anything else to say anyway.

“I’ve never had a reason to not like you,” Kija said. “But I convinced myself I did until I couldn’t think of any more reasons that made sense. What I did...the chains...I was wrong. I was wrong and I’m sorry.”

“I told you,” Jae-Ha replied, irritated. “I got over it on my own a long--”

“ _Stop it_ ,” Kija interrupted him. “You deserve an apology.”

Jae-Ha froze. They were close enough to touch. Kija’s chest was rising and falling rapidly with his labored breathing, and Jae-Ha wanted nothing more in that moment than to pull him in and calm him.

Kija’s lips trembled again and his blue eyes narrowed.

“You said sorry already,” Jae-Ha said.

“Not in the way I want.”

Then Kija did something he never thought he would do. He pulled Jae-Ha in and kissed him.

The chair toppled over from Jae-Ha being yanked forward. When their lips met, the kiss was hard. Neither had really expected it, so neither had prepared for anything tender.

Jae-Ha sucked in a breath before their lips met. Kija’s lips were chapped and as far as kisses went, Kija knew he could do better.

Kija was on his toes, one hand tugging at Jae-Ha’s collar, the other at his shoulder. Jae-Ha’s eyes widened a moment from the shock, but then he slowly melted into it.

It didn't take long for them to settle into the kiss and become soft and compliant against one another. Jae-Ha wrapped his arms around Kija, leaning into him so he wouldn't have to stand on his toes.

Kija's hand slid up Jae-Ha’s arm, then pressed to his face. The feel of Jae-Ha’s warm lips and tongue were almost more than he could take. His chest was tight, like someone had wrung all the air out of his lungs. The feeling exploded in his chest when Jae-Ha pulled him closer, fingers digging into his lower back.

Jae-Ha broke apart first, panting heavily. His face was flushed and Kija imagined his own pale skin was worse.

They held each other, breathing in the thick air around them. They were mere centimeters apart and it was easy for Kija to see every eyelash around Jae-Ha’s heavy lidded eyes.

“I'm sorry,” Kija said. “I'm so sorry.”

Jae-Ha shook his head, then kissed Kija on the forehead. “I was not expecting that at all.”

Kija laughed shyly. “Neither was I.”

Jae-Ha chuckled then raised a brow to Kija. “That was our first kiss.”

“Ah…” Kija said like he'd only just realized it. “Is it our last?”

“I sure as hell hope not,” Jae-Ha said with wide eyes.

Jae-Ha smiled warmly at him then he leaned in slowly, asking if it was okay to kiss him again. Kija waited for him. He'd forced the last kiss, so this time he would put the reigns in Jae-Ha’s hands. Kija rested his hands on his broad shoulders and smiled, letting Jae-Ha know he would accept anything he tried.

Jae-Ha lightly cupped his cheek, conscious of the blood on his hands, then gently pressed his lips to Kija's. He took it slowly. None of the bruising force lingered from before, but the intent behind it was all the same.

Kija’s eyes slid shut instantly, his fingers finding the dark hair normally pinned with a bow. Now it draped over Jae-Ha’s shoulders and occupied Kija’s hands.

_This is a real kiss,_ Kija thought faintly. It was warm and made him so happy he never wanted to stop. Jae-Ha seemed to think the same because he leaned back to sit on the edge of the table, pulling Kija between his legs.

Kija broke away to pepper kisses across Jae-Ha’s cheekbones, down his jaw and the tip of his nose.

Jae-Ha smiled and nuzzled into Kija's neck, pulling him into an embrace.

“See? I don’t hate you,” Jae-Ha muttered into his skin.

“I don’t hate you either,” Kija replied with a sigh.

“Kiss me,” Jae-Ha whispered.

Kija didn’t mock him for the request, or point out they’d done that twice already. Instead, he trailed his fingers down Jae-Ha’s arm until he found his hand. He could feel the drying blood on his fingers but he put that thought aside for now. Kija wove his fingers with Jae-Ha’s, squeezed his hand, then gently leaned in. 

Jae-Ha let out a shaky breath when Kija kissed him slowly. His feet barely brushed the floor since he was sitting on the table, but Kija was standing between his legs. It put them at the perfect height for each other.

Jae-Ha avoided running his hands through Kija’s white hair, afraid to soil him with the filth that clung to his fingers. But Kija guided the hand he held to his lips and placed a gentle kiss to Jae-Ha’s knuckles.

“Kija,” Jae-Ha said in surprise. “The blood…”

“You used my name,” Kija said as he kissed at Jae-Ha’s palm, disregarding the warning.

“At least let me wash my hands,” Jae-Ha tried to tug his arm away but Kija’s grip was on him.

“My name, Jae-Ha,” Kija said again as he held his hand by his lips.

Jae-Ha raised a brow in confusion. “I figured this was not time for jokes.”

“I don’t think of the nickname as a joke,” Kija replied. “And I don’t think you do either.”

Jae-Ha blushed, then he was being tugged forward off the table. Kija led him into the bathroom then closed the door behind them.

Jae-Ha suddenly felt very out of his element. Kija was taking the lead in a way he never expected. He was even more surprised when Kija started undoing the buttons on his soiled shirt.

“Woah there, Snowflake.” Jae-Ha grabbed his hands. “As a rule of thumb, I don’t hit second base on the first date.”

Kija blinked up at Jae-Ha then laughed. “So you want to continue wearing this blood soaked shirt?”

Jae-Ha looked down at himself, then back up at Kija. “Okay, you have a point”

Kija smiled then returned to unbuttoning his shirt. Jae-Ha tried his best to not think lewd thoughts. He failed miserably.

After Kija removed his shirt, he started the water in the sink. He let it heat up, testing the water to make sure it was warm enough. Then he grabbed a hotel washcloth off the counter, soaked it in the stream of water, and reach out for Jae-Ha’s hands.

Without a word, Jae-Ha presented his red hands. Kija gently rubbed at them with the washcloth. It quickly turned dark with the blood, and some even stained Kija’s fingers, but that didn’t deter Kija at all.

He continued to gently rub away at Jae-Ha, then wash out the rag in the warm water. Finally after a while the water ran clear and Jae-Ha’s hands were back to their normal color. The tint of the blood on Jae-Ha was still partially visible but there was nothing they could do about that. Only time could get rid of it completely.

“Thank you,” Jae-Ha said as he watched Kija rinse out the washcloth. Kija turned the water off and looked back to Jae-Ha. He could tell this admission of gratitude was not solely about him cleaning his hands.

“Anytime,” Kija said with a nod.

Jae-Ha stepped forward, backing Kija against the low counter. He pushed his white hair from his eyes, and Kija turned into the touch.

“I have a confession,” Jae-Ha whispered against Kija’s neck.

Kija’s breath hitched but he didn’t respond.

Jae-Ha kissed at his pulse. “I lied about the rule.”

Kija chuckled. “I had hoped so.”

Jae-Ha trailed his kisses back up until he found Kija’s lips, then he finally ran his fingers through the white strands of his fine hair. He pulled back a moment and watched as Kija slowly opened his blue eyes.

“We’re late getting back to them,” Jae-Ha breathed.

“You don’t think they heard us yelling?” Kija smiled.

Jae-Ha frowned. “Ah...didn’t think about that.”

Kija draped his arms over Jae-Ha’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “But you’re right, we should at least report what happened.”

Jae-Ha tensed a moment, but the reassuring look Kija gave him melted the tension away.

“Let me at least have  _some_ action before we leave,” Jae-Ha sighed.

Kija snorted. “I took off your shirt, close enough.”

“Awww,” Jae-Ha whined and nuzzled into Kija’s neck. “Just one mark?”

“No,” Kija said and pushed at Jae-Ha. “They’ll see that!”

“At least let me grab your ass, then.” Jae-Ha said with an indignant pout.

Kija rolled his eyes, then pushed Jae-Ha against the opposite wall. “Fine, go ahead.”

Jae-Ha perked up and pulled Kija into his chest. He kissed him again as his hands trailed down Kija’s back and over his ass. He squeezed, forcing Kija to grind up against him. What Kija felt definitely was beyond second base.

“Hey now,” Kija warned. “That’s bordering a home run.”

Jae-Ha chuckled. “Sorry, love. I’ll stop.”

He released Kija and readjusted himself as Kija leaned back against the counter. They both were fairly disheveled and not at all capable of walking into the other room without raising suspicion.

“Shit,” Kija said when he eyed Jae-Ha’s appearance fully. He noticed the scars along his torso but he also noticed how incredibly attractive he was.

“Put on a shirt,” Kija said as he opened the bathroom door and walked out.

Jae-Ha smirked to himself, then followed Kija out. “All my clothes are in the next room.”

“Perfect,” Kija deadpanned. “Let’s get this over with.”

“After you, sweetheart.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW HI IT HAS BEEN A MINUTE!  
> Sorry for the delay, folks. Finals, then illness, then conventions totally wiped me out! As a gift for the long wait, please enjoy the fluff that is this chapter!! I will resume regular monthly updates now. :)

As soon as Kija pushed the door open, Hak was there. His eerie smile said he already knew everything that had taken place next door. Kija stiffened and took a step back, right into Jae-Ha’s bare chest. Hak’s smile widened as his eyes trailed from Kija to Jae-Ha then back again.

“So who’s the bottom?” Hak sneered.

“ _Hak!”_ Yona called from across the room.

Kija had never blushed so hard in his life. If he could melt into the floor right there, it still wouldn’t be enough to hide his mortification. He had expected some harassment, but such a blatantly sexual question was not something he had an answer for. Thankfully, before he could mumble some half-hearted response, he was saved.

Jae-Ha pushed past him, stepping right up to Hak. “We haven’t fucked. But I’ll be happy to fight you if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“Oh?” Hak ignored Yona’s death glare in order to meet Jae-Ha’s challenge. “Sounds good! Let’s do it!”

Before Hak could ready himself, Kija stepped between them and put a hand on both of their chests.

“Now isn’t the time,” Kija snapped at both of them but he was only looking at Jae-Ha.

Jae-Ha instantly backed off. He sighed, running a hand through his loose hair. “Sorry Hak, looks like it will have to wait. There’s a suspicious body in the dumpster out back.”

“W-what?” The information shocked Hak out of his hot-headed rage.

“We were attacked on patrol,” Kija continued. “Jae-Ha... _dispatched_...the man. But we don’t have any idea how he found us or if he was even one of Soo-Won’s men.”

The rest of the room was instantly on their feet, scrambling to gather their things. It was most likely that their location had been compromised. They needed to change hotels to be safe.

Yona stepped into the entranceway and addressed Kija. “Take Zeno and Hak down to the body so we can match his identity to the ones we have on file.” She turned to Jae-Ha. “Let Yun make sure you don’t have any injuries...we need you to be in peak condition, Jae-Ha.”

Jae-Ha blinked in surprise. Not only was Yona saying they _needed_ him but he was being separated from Kija. Even if it was just for a couple minutes, he realized it was the first time since the airport that he had permission to be away from the person who was assigned as his “handler.” Despite the moment’s insignificance, Jae-Ha smiled.

“Anything for you, Yona dear.” Jae-Ha followed her into the room, leaving Kija’s side.

Hak grunted in distaste, but motioned for Kija to head out the door. Zeno bobbled happily towards them, his laptop tucked beneath his arm. With one last look to Jae-Ha, sitting on the bed in front of Yun, Kija turned and left the room.

***

“What is that smell?” Hak spat.

“Garbage,” Kija replied flatly.

Hak rolled his eyes. “Obviously.”

“Then why did you ask?” Kija snapped back.

“Ooh!” Zeno chimed in. He was hunched over his laptop, analyzing facial matches on the body they’d drug back out of the trash. “He’s one of Soo-Won’s definitely!”

“Tch!” Hak threw the lid to the dumpster open. “We have to move then.”

“Hmm.” Zeno squinted through his reading glasses at the screen. “But how did he find us? Were we followed?”

Hak sighed then threw the dead man over his shoulder. With a final heave, he tossed the body back inside. “Hopefully they don’t know yet, since _this_ guy never made it back. Guess I gotta thank your pet for this, at least.”

“That’s enough,” Kija growled, turning on Hak. “What is your problem? You’re so persistent that Soo-Won is a sweet and innocent flower but just because Jae-Ha was already in prison you automatically write him off? We have all this evidence that your _boyfriend_ is kidnapping children and burning down orphanages so why don’t you just leave mine alone?!”

Hak’s jaw dropped as he let the dumpster lid fall from his grasp. The slam made Kija jump and then he realized what he had said. Zeno looked up in amazement from where he was crouched on the ground.

“Uh,” Hak said stupidly. “I was just....I mean...my bad, Kija.”

Before either man could pressure Kija further, Hak’s phone rang. After two rings, Hak fumbled with his jacket pocket and nearly dropped the phone before answering.

“H-hello?” Hak stammered before clearing his throat. “Who is this?”

Hak’s eyes widened then he quickly put the call on speaker.

_“--miss me, Hak?”_ A silky voice filtered through the phone’s speaker.

Kija had only heard that voice one other time, but it was unmistakable. Soo-Won was making a personal call to Hak.

“Soo-Won…” Hak said in a strained voice. “How did you get this number?”

An eerie chuckle then, _“Come now, Hak. I used to be an HDA agent, y’know. I have my resources.”_

Zeno silently motioned to Hak. He passed him a small chip and motioned for Hak to slip it into the charge port of the phone. As soon as he did, Zeno went back to his laptop. He pulled up a program Kija recognized from his own days as a detective. Zeno was attempting to trace the call.

_“Sorry, Zeno.”_ Soo-Won said, making everyone stop in surprise. _“I won’t be on the phone long enough for you to trace this.”_

Hak immediately looked up and down the alley. “How do you know what Zeno is doing?”

_“My eyes are all over Awa,”_ Soo-Won said simply. _“But discussing my skills isn’t why I called you, Hak.”_

Hak put his back to the dumpster, looking up and down the alley. Kija peered up to the roof but he saw nothing besides the fire escape, brick, and the street cameras.

Kija nearly gasped out loud.

He smacked Hak on the arm, pointing to the cameras. Hak nodded in understanding then led them back into the hotel. If that was the answer, Soo-Won didn’t bother congratulating him on figuring it out.

“What do you want, then?” Hak said as they entered the laundry room through the back door. “Surely you’re not giving yourself up?”

_“Ahh,”_ Soo-Won sighed happily. _“That would ruin the game and I haven’t even invited you out to play yet.”_

“I hate games,” Hak sneered. “Where are you?”

_“Kai.”_ Soo-Won replied so easily that Hak stopped in his tracks. He honestly hadn’t expected him to answer that question. _“We’re in the dealer’s territory now. But only for two days. Then everything will be gone. Sad, really. Such a short lived game.”_

Hak had no idea what Soo-Won was talking about. But one word made his blood boil. “ _We?_ You mean the kids you kidnapped, right?”

_“Who else? Don’t act stupid, Hak. The game isn’t any fun without you playing right. You’re smarter than that.”_ Soo-Won chuckled again. _“Oops, looks like time is up. The game starts now, my little beast.”_

The line went dead. Hak gripped the phone tightly, trying with all his might not to throw the device at the wall. Kija managed to wrangle the phone from his hand. Zeno cursed and slammed his laptop shut. Despite Soo-Won’s words he had still tried to trace the call as they moved.

“No good?” Kija asked. Zeno shook his head in disappointment.

The two silently watched Hak seethe for a moment, then take in a deep breath. He relaxed his stiff shoulders then held out his hand for his phone. Kija cautiously handed it back to him.

“What did all that mean?” Kija asked. “What’s ‘the dealer’s territory?’ Does that even mean anything?”

Hak shook his head, brow scrunched in thought. “I’m not sure...but I do know one thing...we have two days to find those kids or they’re gone for good.”

Kija paled. “We should tell the others...we have to go to Kai.”

Hak agreed and then the three quickly headed back to their room.

***

As soon as Kija had left with Hak and Zeno, Yun got to work inspecting Jae-Ha’s body. Aside from the fading blood stains and the scars forming across his palms from his first day in Awa, Jae-Ha was fine. Yun still prodded and poked at his ribs then looked over the older scars on his back.

“Are these…” Yun started to ask but Jae-Ha cut him off.

“Whip marks? Yeah.” Jae-Ha shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.

Yun stared at the marks in horror. He reached out tentatively, unthinkingly trying to touch one of the scars, but Jae-Ha stood up. Yun watched in shock as Jae-Ha bent over his own bag and pulled out a fresh shirt. He slipped it on over his head and turned to smile happily at Yun.

“Desiring freedom has a heavy price.” Jae-Ha smiled despite the sad words. “But that’s all in the past.”

Yun nodded numbly. Yona, Shin-Ah, Tae-Jun, and Ik-Soo had all been too absorbed in packing their room that they hadn’t noticed the strained conversation. Jae-Ha sat back down next to Yun and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“But it isn’t wrong,” Jae-Ha said. “It’s not wrong to desire freedom. For yourself...or your family.”

Yun looked up at Jae-Ha, realizing he was trying to comfort him.

“I know,” Yun said. “People like Soo-Won...people who take away the rights of others...they deserve to rot.”

Jae-Ha sighed. “Sometimes it’s not so black and white like that...but you’re right. He will get what he deserves in the end. I can promise you that.”

Yun gave him a confused look. “Don’t tell me Hak is getting to you. You don’t also think Soo-Won isn’t bad?”

“No,” Jae-Ha replied firmly. “He’s done too much to you, Hak, and Yona to be considered good. But I get the feeling something deeper is going on here. I just don’t understand what, yet.”

Yun looked down at his hands in his lap, momentarily losing himself in his thoughts. He missed his family so much there was a near physical pain settled in his chest. His vision blurred and when Jae-Ha ruffled his hair, the tears gathered in his eyes spilled over. Before he looked up he blinked the rest of them away. His eyes were red and puffy now but he smiled anyway.

“So are you and Kija a thing for real now?” Yun asked innocently to change the subject.

Jae-Ha laughed at that, but it was just an attempt to cover the sudden flurry of butterflies that had taken off in his stomach. It seemed without Kija around, his confidence could be easily shaken. Yun was only asking the question to distract himself from crying so Jae-Ha decided to humor him despite his own nervousness.

“We’re…” Jae-Ha started to reply but it died in his throat. He wasn’t really sure what they were but he did know one thing. “We’re _something_ . I would like us to be _something_ for a very long time.”

Yun smiled gently. “Have you ever been that honest with him?”

Jae-Ha’s eyes widened. He looked down at Yun, not sure how to respond to that. The hard truths always had a tendency to catch Jae-Ha off guard.

“I guess not,” Yun replied with a shrug. “For what it’s worth, I get the feeling he wants to be _something_ with you too.”

Jae-Ha chuckled. “You’re too smart for your own damn good, kid.”

“I get that a lot, thanks.” Yun grinned up at Jae-Ha.

Just then, the door flew open. Everyone stopped what they were doing as Hak, Kija, and Zeno came running inside. They looked frazzled and out of breath. Kija collapsed into the nearest chair, giving Jae-Ha a tired wave to say he was okay.

Shin-Ah had been so frightened by the door opening that he jumped. Tae-Jun quickly comforted him with a hand to his shoulder. Yun sat down at the table with Kija and handed him a glass of water. Ik-Soo quickly prepared another two glasses for Hak and Zeno.

“We have a big problem,” Hak huffed as he leaned forward onto the table, bracing his weight with his arms. “Soo-Won called.”

Hak quickly explained the phone call he’d received, making sure to detail exactly what Soo-Won had said to him. He told them about Kai and how Soo-Won could see them, most likely through hacking the cameras like Zeno did, and that they had to head to Kai immediately.

“The dealer’s territory?” Jae-Ha repeated when Hak finished talking. “Are you sure those were his exact words?”

Hak gave Jae-Ha a hard glare, but didn’t snap at him. “Yeah, but I have no idea what that means. Why?”

“There’s a place in Kai called Dealer’s Bend,” Jae-Ha said. “It’s not an official name, but to those who need to know, know about it. That territory is like a neutral zone, the military can’t touch it since it’s been deemed too dangerous for people to live in. Officially the area has been abandoned by the Kai government, but unofficially it’s a hotbed for drug deals, substance trafficking, and all sorts of crime. If Soo-Won wanted to disappear, that's the place to do it.”

“Ahh!” Tae-Jun said in alarm. “How could I forget about that place?”

The room was quiet for a moment; the only one who looked remotely impressed by Jae-Ha’s knowledge was Kija. The others were confused as to how he could know something like that. Tae-Jun had been directly involved in the trafficking ring so his knowledge on the subject wasn’t surprising.

“What?” Jae-Ha asked, slightly irritated. “You asked.”

Hak cleared his throat. “I guess you’re useful after all, Jae-Ha.”

Jae-Ha leaned back onto the bed where he sat. “I can even take you there. Assassin’s honor.”

“Is that supposed to be a joke?” Hak scoffed.

Jae-Ha smiled. “Wasn’t it funny?”

“No,” Hak deadpanned. Then he sighed. “Soo-Won isn’t so stupid to just give us this information. There’s a reason for this…”

“Hak,” Yona interjected. “Not this again...you need to let it go. Soo-Won isn’t guiding us.”

“Hold on, Yona,” Jae-Ha said. Kija gave him a curious look but let him speak anyway. “Hak might be onto something.”

Hak was ready to fight Jae-Ha, thinking he would say something annoying, but then he deflated almost instantly. “Uhh...I am?”

“Soo-Won met me...or rather shot at me,” Jae-Ha continued. “He knows now that you have a sixth team member, someone who isn’t HDA. He told you he has certain resources right? He could easily figure out that I used to be an assassin. I’m probably in every bingo book there is, to be honest.”

Jae-Ha looked to Kija, who seemed slightly distraught. Leave it to Kija to be the first one to put the pieces together. Jae-Ha always knew he was the smartest of the group. Besides Zeno, of course. But Jae-Ha didn’t account for genius.

“Oh…” Kija muttered under his breath. Hak’s face paled as he realized it too.

“If he knew Jae-Ha was an assassin,” Hak said. “Someone who used to be familiar with all kinds of criminals. Then telling us about Dealer’s Bend would be a huge mistake...if he didn’t want us to find him. But if he did...if he did want to be found, we have all the information we need. Where...how long we have...and who’s there.”

“He gave himself to us on a silver platter,” Jae-Ha confirmed. “He either really loves fucking with people…”

“Or he’s helping us,” Hak finished for him. Yona looked like she was fighting some internal battle with herself. She was on the verge of tears but a smile kept creeping its way onto her face.

“There’s only one way for you guys to find out,” Tae-Jun said. “You have to go to Kai.”

“I’ll call Ao,” Shin-Ah said quietly. “We’ll need clearance and transportation. The Kai border isn’t far. A car should be fine.”

He quickly dialed Ao and began discussing what had happened. Everyone else finished packing in silence. The new information was a lot to take in, but since nothing was certain, they were unsure how to process it.

“Kija.” Jae-Ha joined Kija at the table and handed him his bag. “I packed it while you were out.”

“Thank you,” Kija smiled at him. “But why my name now?”

Jae-Ha shrugged. “I wanted to try it and I guess...I want you to take me seriously.”

The room was a bustling ball of energy around them, but the space around the table was pleasantly still. Kija swallowed heavily, his heart kick-starting in his chest.

“You shouldn’t say stuff like that...not if you don’t really mean it.” Kija looked down at the floor. Before Jae-Ha could tell him that he did mean what he said, Hak got their attention.

“The cars are out front.” He slung his bag over his shoulder. “Yun, Ik-Soo, and Tae-Jun stay here and hold the rooms. It’s best if people think we’re still here. I’ll drive a car with Yona and Zeno. Kija, take the other with Jae-Ha and Shin-Ah. Make your stops minimal and not in large cities that might have street cams. Follow our car and I’ll call after we reach Kai to tell you where we should stop for the night.”

With that, they said their goodbyes to the ones being left behind. Yona was sad to leave her new friends but she promised to come back for them after they found the kids and stopped Soo-Won. The others went on ahead to pack the car, but Yun stopped Jae-Ha before he could leave. Kija froze in the doorway, curious as to what Yun would want with Jae-Ha.

“You promised,” Yun said sadly with a hand gripping Jae-Ha’s sleeve. “You swore he would get what he deserved...please don’t forget. He hurt my family.”

Jae-Ha’s stomach clenched. He had to keep his promise to Yun, it was the right thing to do. But after the revelation that something deeper was going on with Soo-Won, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to get past Hak. Did Soo-Won really deserve to die?

“I did,” Jae-Ha agreed. He quickly hugged Yun. “I promised he would get what he deserves. I will not break that promise.”

When Jae-Ha released Yun, he turned to Kija who was levelling him with a knowing stare. He didn’t make eye contact with Kija as he quickly strode past him out into the hall. Kija let the door fall shut as he walked with Jae-Ha and Shin-Ah to their car.

“He looks up to you,” Kija said simply.

Jae-Ha didn’t respond.

***

The drive to Kai was quiet in Kija’s car. Jae-Ha mostly stared out the window and Shin-Ah slept the entire time. Even if he was awake, he wouldn’t have provided any conversation.They crossed the border as the sun reached it’s highest point. Hak called and had them pull over at a roadside motel. They checked into two separate rooms then reviewed a map of the area and of Dealer’s Bend.

Thankfully, Dealer’s Bend was close to the border. They were already at the edge of the territory Jae-Ha had pointed out on a map while they were still in Awa. Hak quickly decided they should split and search Dealer’s Bend for any signs of the kids.

“I’m not so sure that method will work this time,” Jae-Ha said. “This area is too dangerous. Even if we’re highly trained and they’re not, this is basically the center of the trafficking ring. If what Soo-Won says is right, anyway.”

Hak hummed in thought for a moment. “You’re right. It’s best we ascertain the location first. A door-to-door style search would just waste time.”

Kija nearly dropped his cellphone. He had been trying to download the rest of the pictures of the men in Kum-Ji’s circle from Zeno’s laptop since they would be separated soon. But hearing Hak agree with Jae-Ha nearly made him question his sanity.

“Our best bet is the cathedral.” Jae-Ha pointed to a spot on the map. “It’s large enough to hold all the kids and deep enough into the territory to be a secure location for them. Not to mention it has direct access to underground tunnels that lead further into the country.”

Hak raised a brow at that. “I take it you’ve used the tunnels before.”

Jae-Ha nodded. “Once or twice.”

“Then you should be the one to check the place out first.” Hak rolled up the map. Yona smiled at her boyfriend. “Take Kija and then meet back here at midnight. But wait until it’s dark enough to sneak close to the cathedral. This is just an information gathering assignment. Avoid combat at all costs, understood?”

“Yes, captain!” Jae-Ha winked then saluted Hak.

Kija followed Jae-Ha wordlessly out the door.

***

They found an abandoned factory close to the old cathedral. The building was largely empty minus a few homeless men gathered together by the front door. Kija and Jae-Ha slipped past the men but they were mostly ignored. Unusual people were clearly a common occurrence in the area.

In a back room on the second floor, they found a couch and a small table. A dusty and broken snack machine sat rotting away in a corner. A single window let in light to the dreary space. Jae-Ha immediately got to work looking over all the documents he had brought, each page a picture and description of one of Yun’s siblings. Kija paced the room a while, letting Jae-Ha have his space.

The hours dragged on like this, with Jae-Ha pouring his attention onto the missing children, and Kija alternating between pacing and looking out the window. From his vantage point he could just see the cathedral perched atop a small hill.

Finally, when night fell and the moon began to rise, Kija spoke to Jae-Ha.

“Jae-Ha,” Kija called from across the room.

Jae-Ha looked up from the documents, mind still mostly distracted by the new information. When his eyes found Kija, sitting languidly on the windowsill, the documents dropped from his fingers. Kija was watching him with an intensity that he could almost feel. It was obvious to him at that point, that while he had been so avidly sorting through the names of all the kids who’d gone missing, Kija had been looking only at him.

“That’s enough,” Kija said. He extended his hand, reaching out to Jae-Ha. The action was unmistakeable. He wanted Jae-Ha to come to him.

Without another thought, Jae-Ha stood from the shabby, old table and crossed the dark space between them. The small back room of the abandoned factory was only illuminated by the moon through the window where Kija sat. It’s white light enveloped Kija and pulled Jae-Ha in.

Jae-Ha stepped into Kija’s space, just at the end of his reach.

“Is it time?” Jae-Ha asked.

Kija merely gripped his arm in response. He tugged Jae-Ha closer. With a sigh, he leaned his head against Jae-Ha’s stomach. From his position he couldn’t properly embrace Jae-Ha but his presence was more than enough.

“Ki-...Snowflake?” Jae-Ha asked uncertainly.

Kija shook his head, rubbing his face against Jae-Ha. He released Jae-Ha’s arm and instead slipped his hands around the waist he was leaning against. With a tug, Jae-Ha stumbled a bit as he was pulled forward.

He braced himself against the wall with his hand, the other coming up to grip Kija’s shoulder. He looked down at the head of white hair trying to bury itself into his side. Jae-Ha could feel himself stiffen in response to the embrace. He wasn’t sure how to respond to what Kija was doing.

“Are you…” Jae-Ha started to ask if Kija was okay. He let the sentence die as the hands around his waist gripped into his clothes. Kija was shaking.

Jae-Ha forced himself to relax. With a sense of unease, he shifted his hand from Kija’s shoulder and cautiously placed it on his head. His movements were awkward and jerky but he hoped his actions were clear enough to Kija. Comforting others wasn’t exactly his forte.

“There’s no reason to cry, Snowflake.” Jae-Ha said after a moment. “We’ll find the kids….and the others aren’t our responsibility. It’s impossible to find everyone affected by Kum-Ji.”

Jae-Ha dropped his hand from Kija’s hair when he looked up at him. His eyes were dry. Instead of tears there were lines of anger across his face. His expression was dark and suddenly Jae-Ha realized why he had been shaking. Not with sadness, but with rage.

“He will pay,” Kija growled. “There isn't time for tears, Jae-Ha.”

Jae-Ha’s eyes widened in surprise. Kija still clung to him, and Jae-Ha could tell he was desperately trying not to crush him. Kija took in a deep breath then dropped his head back against him.

“That’s not why I called you over here,” he said in a muffled voice. He fell quiet again.

The small outburst was enough to make Jae-Ha relax and lean into Kija. To Jae-Ha, Kija had just felt like a ticking time bomb. He feared the worst and assumed Kija was ready to break down on him. That was not his Kija.

“What is it, then?” Jae-Ha ran a hand through Kija’s hair, playing with the light strands.

“I’m enjoying this…” Kija said quietly. “Us.”

Jae-Ha’s heart skipped. “O-oh?”

Kija nodded. He released his tight grip, then leaned back to look up at Jae-Ha. Kija seemed to think for a moment then grabbed Jae-Ha’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

“You’re awfully sentimental tonight,” Jae-Ha teased. He definitely didn’t mind Kija showing affection. It was just so new and rare from what he knew of the man.

Kija blushed, but didn’t let go of his hand. “I can stop.”

Jae-Ha brought Kija’s hand to his lips and placed a chaste kiss to his knuckles. “Please don’t.”

Kija rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. They had only been in each other’s company for a short time but they had discovered a lot about each other; types of affection the other favored, insecurities and things that made the other laugh, to name a few.

“Is that all you needed to say?” Jae-Ha asked and then sat down next to Kija. “When you called to me I was suddenly unable to think.”

Kija grinned. “No one asked you to think in the first place.”

“You wound me, love,” Jae-Ha said with mock hurt in his voice.

“Stop it.” Kija was suddenly serious.

Jae-Ha was taken aback. He blinked in confusion. “Stop what?”

“Calling me _love_.” Kija shifted uneasily, turning his back to the window to face the room. “I can handle the other names...but not that one. It’s cruel.”

Jae-Ha watched him a moment. Kija was tense and seemed to be biting his tongue like he was physically holding back from speaking. That was when the pieces fell into place for Jae-Ha.

“What are you so afraid of?” Jae-Ha asked simply.

Kija kicked at the dusty floor, seeming to ignore Jae-Ha’s question. After a moment Kija asked one in return. “After everything...where will you go?”

Jae-Ha didn’t press his own question, instead nodded in understanding. He sighed happily then said with a small laugh, “Wherever you go.”

Kija whipped his head around to face Jae-Ha. His brow was scrunched in confusion, jaw beginning to unhinge to further show his shock. Clearly that was not the answer he expected.

“Is that supposed to be a joke?” Kija squinted in the moonlight, glaring harshly at Jae-Ha. “It’s not very funny.”

Jae-Ha’s smile widened. “Don’t let this face fool you, I’m a very serious man.”

Kija didn’t take that very well. With a huff, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the opposite edge of the window from Jae-Ha. He looked back out the window and let his expression turn soft.

“I suppose it makes sense,” Kija said. “You’re an ex-assassin. Living anything close to a domestic life wouldn’t suit you at all...or even living with someone else.”

Jae-Ha raised a brow at that. “I like to cook. That’s kind of domestic. Pretty good at it too, if I do say so myself.”

Kija turned his head back to him slowly and said something odd. He wasn’t even sure why he felt the need to say it. “I can barely make cereal.”

Jae-Ha snorted. “That’s fine. You don’t need to cook.”

Kija started to lower his arms from where they were crossed over his chest. “Cleaning. I can do that well.”

“I know,” Jae-Ha replied. “I’ve seen your apartment. It’s a good size, actually. Not sure why you’ve lived alone until now.”

Kija looked at him intensely. His heart was constricting in his chest. _Was he…?_

“I haven’t found anyone who wanted to share it with me,” Kija said with a shaky voice. He could feel his constricted heart in his throat.

Jae-Ha nodded slowly. He leaned forward, catching Kija’s hand that had fallen to his lap.

“Kija,” was all Jae-Ha needed to say for Kija to drop his defenses completely. But still, he needed Jae-Ha to _say it_. He needed him to say the words out loud, to clear the air.

“Yes?” Kija asked in a whisper.

“Do you want to live together?” Jae-Ha asked. Despite his earlier confidence, he was suddenly nervous and it came through in his shy voice and sweaty palms. “After all of this is over, and we’ve returned to Kouka...do you want to clean our apartment while I make you the best cereal you’ve ever had?”

Kija smiled and couldn’t help the laugh that broke past his lips. Jae-Ha could never do things seriously. But that was a part of who he was and Kija wanted every part of him.

Jae-Ha left the question hanging between them. He wasn’t asking if Kija _could_ live with him. He was asking if Kija _wanted_ him _._ Jae-Ha knew that Kija was insecure, always wondering if Jae-Ha liked him. But up until this point Jae-Ha hadn’t been so sure if Kija would return his feelings.

Kija met his eyes. “I’m afraid you’ll leave when we return home, that you’re going to disappear from my life and I’ll never see you again.”

Jae-Ha waited patiently for Kija to say everything he wanted. He’d already assumed what Kija’s fears were. He hadn’t expected what Kija would say next, though.

“Jae-Ha,” Kija said as he held his hands. “I need you. Please don’t leave me.”

It was like a flip was switched. Jae-Ha shook his hands free then quickly pinned Kija against the window. He captured his lips in a heated kiss which Kija met fervently.

Jae-Ha released him to whisper against his skin. “Say it again, Kija. Say you need me.”

Kija panted, eyes heavy and cheeks flushed. “Jae-Ha...stay with me.” He gripped the front of Jae-Ha’s shirt, clinging to him. “I need you.”

Jae-Ha captured his lips again. Kija could feel the cool window at his back, but the heat from Jae-Ha’s body was overwhelming. Jae-Ha’s hands were braced against the glass as he pressed Kija into it to deepen the kiss.

Jae-Ha felt Kija kiss him back, felt his hands in his shirt as they slid over his shoulders to pull at the ribbon in his hair. His long hair fell and draped around their faces, creating a small veil that blocked out most of the moonlight. Kija took the opportunity to nip at Jae-Ha’s bottom lip.

“Are you asking to go right here against the window?” Jae-Ha asked in response to the nip.

Kija breathed a laugh. “You’d like that wouldn’t you?”

Jae-Ha placed a knee on either side of Kija’s lap, coming to rest atop Kija’s thighs on the windowsill. “I can’t deny that.”

Kija kissed him once more, making sure to draw it out long enough that Jae-Ha had to break apart for air.

“But we’re short on time,” Kija mumbled in his haze. “We have to check the cathedral.”

“Mm,” Jae-Ha replied before gripping Kija’s head and forcing him back into a kiss. Kija smiled into it.

“Before we go,” Jae-Ha said as he placed his forehead against Kija’s. His blue eyes were so close that Jae-Ha almost forgot to finish his sentence.

“I meant to ask you,” he continued. “What’s your favorite cereal?”

Kija snorted. “Fruity Pebbles.”

Jae-Ha hummed in acknowledgement. “Never had them. Sounds good though.”

“What?” Kija asked in surprise. “How have you never--”

Kija cut himself off. Of course Jae-Ha had never had them. He was raised as an assassin in a place that secluded him from the rest of the world. All of his meals he had cooked himself and were probably made with ingredients he’d stolen from farms and anything else that he could get his hands on.

“You were right about one thing earlier,” Jae-Ha said. “A domestic life is foreign to me.”

Kija frowned, ready to apologize, when Jae-Ha placed a finger over his lips to silence him.

“Show me what it’s like,” Jae-Ha said simply. “You need me and I need you. I’d probably completely fail at being _normal_ on my own _._ ”

“You seem to be doing fine so far,” Kija replied with a chuckle. “But you’re right as well. I do need you. I don’t think I can live without you...now that I know what it’s like to be with you.”

The words hit home for Jae-Ha. No one had ever said that to him. Equally, Kija had never been shown that being who he is was _good enough._ Jae-Ha could now feel that Kija needed him, but that worked both ways.

Jae-Ha kissed him gently again. His eyes slid shut as Kija melted into him. Jae-Ha cupped his cheeks gently as Kija placed a kiss to the tip of his nose.

“Thank you, Snowflake.” Jae-Ha said as he stood up. He reached out his hand to help Kija off the windowsill.

“For?” Kija asked as they walked back to gather their things. It was getting close to the start of their assignment.

“For needing me.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have a [Tumblr](http://sariahhime.tumblr.com)!


End file.
